Man accused of pistol-whipping longtime friend over Bruno Mars song

Published September 24, 2018

An Indiana man is facing charges after pistol-whipping his lifelong friend during an argument over a Bruno Mars song, police said.

Roger D. Washburn, 71, of Greenwood, was taken into custody late Friday by deputies from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office after the victim and another man said they were hanging out at Washburn’s home when they started to fight over a song and who performed it, the Indianapolis Star reports.

The victim insisted the track in question was sung by Mars, but Washburn disagreed. That prompted the victim to show Washburn proof that the song was, in fact, part of Mars’ catalog, but instead of defusing the argument, the sound squabble went to another level when Washburn pulled out a .38-caliber revolver, deputies said.

The victim then called Washburn “chickens–t,” leading him to swing his gun at the man, striking him in the face and arm. Washburn’s gun went off twice as he struck the victim and took another swing at him, but no one was shot during the feud about the singer, whose hits include “Uptown Funk,” “That’s What I Like” and “Locked Out of Heaven.”

The victim told investigators he and his friend — Washburn’s pal of 50 years — were so shocked over what happened that they didn’t end up calling police until hours later. Washburn later admitted to responding officers that he struck his friend in the face with his revolver, according to a police report, which does not indicate which Mars song had been playing at the time.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-accused-of-pistol-whipping-longtime-friend-over-bruno-mars-song