A mishap during a game of Diablo 2 ended in one man, 36-year-old Joshua G. Spellman, allegedly shooting and killing his friend in north Clark County, Washington. The victim has been identified as Andrew W. Dickson who, after suffering a fatal shot to the torso, died from his injuries at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
Joshua G. Spellman appeared in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree murder on Friday (pictured below), with details obtained by The Columbian via an affidavit. It was revealed, during an interview with detectives, that Spellman, Dickson, and a third friend were playing Diablo 2 when the argument broke out. Both Spellman and Dickson lived together and were playing from different locations on property belonging to Spellman’s parents, with the two friends communicating with a gaming headset.
Allegedly, a random player entered the game and stole a valuable piece of Diablo 2 loot that the trio hadn’t collected yet. This led to Dickson becoming upset (specifically yelling, name-calling, and cursing), as the game was supposed to be password protected but was not, according to Spellman. This was said to have lasted for three to five minutes, with Spellman supposedly telling Dickson that he needed to calm down or would get shot.
According to this affidavit, Spellman took his gun (which was next to his computer), walked from his bunkhouse to the main house on the property, fired a shot in the air, and entered the main house. Spellman was talking to his father when Dickson also entered, confronting Spellman about the threat to shoot him. Per the affidavit, Dickson approached Spellman and was shot. Spellman was also asked why his gun was next to his computer, to which he replied, “Why not? This is America.”
Spellman also told detectives that Dickson was often upset and volatile but had never acted violently toward him about a game or otherwise. Spellman has no criminal history, but the prosecution requested Spellman be held on a $2 million dollar bail. The defense asked for $200,00, but Judge Jennifer Snider set the bail for $750,000, allegedly due to concerns of community safety. Spellman is scheduled to be arraigned on December 29, 2021.
These events took place on Wednesday, December 15. These documents also state that Spellman and Dickson had been friends for 26 years.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: The Columbian
