Kearns man pleads guilty to manslaughter for killing friend who said he could dodge a bullet

SALT LAKE CITY — A man who shot and killed his friend while his friend was trying to "dodge a bullet" pleaded guilty on Monday to manslaughter.

Ashton Mann, 25, pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony under a plea deal that dismissed another count for possession of a gun by a restricted person, a third-degree felony.

Mann agreed that he "recklessly discharged a firearm," causing the death of Dylan Lee Treichel, 23.

Charging documents state that in the early hours of Feb. 2, 2025, police responded to a Kearns home to find Treichel on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. Mann told officers he lived in the home with Treichel. He said they had been playing a video game and then went to the garage to play with guns.

Mann said he had dry-fired his 9mm gun a few times when Treichel told him he could dodge the bullet.

He called 911 and tried to give his friend aid.

"Mann stated that after the round went off, he was in such shock he continued racking his gun. Mann stated that he wasn't even aiming at anything because he had his gun sideways," the charges state.

He is set to be sentenced on Jan. 11, and waived his right to be sentenced within 45 days of entering a guilty plea.