Shot kills woman; man held in jail

A preliminary hearing is planned for Tuesday.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A New Castle man is being held on a firearms charge as police investigate the death of a woman.
Aaron Senchak, 27, of Cedar Street, is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The charge stems from August when Senchak pleaded guilty to theft by unlawful taking and was sentenced to 12 months of probation.
State law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of theft from having a firearm.
Neshannock Township police took Senchak into custody Saturday after the death of Kyleigh McCandless, 20, in her Falls Avenue bedroom.
What he says happened
According an affidavit filed to support the firearms charge, Senchak told police McCandless had the Smith & amp; Wesson revolver on her bed when he entered the room that night. Senchak told authorities he took the revolver and removed five rounds from its chamber and threw the gun back on the bed.
Senchak says that McCandless picked up the gun and he took it off her, opened the chamber and spun it before closing it again, court papers stated. Several seconds later as Senchak was holding the gun and talking to McCandless, he turned to the right and the gun discharged, according to court papers.
Police said that when they arrived Senchak was walking around the front yard and yelling: "It was an accident. I did not kill her."
McCandless had a gunshot wound to the face, police said.
A sister of the victim was present and screaming that Senchak killed her sister, police said.
Senchak was immediately taken into custody, and police are still investigating.
Senchak was arraigned Monday and placed in jail after failing to post 50,000 bond. His preliminary hearing on the firearms charge is Tuesday.