Man Shot Cousin To Test If Bulletproof Vest Works.

A man in Tampa, Florida has been booked in jail and is currently facing charges on manslaughter, after shooting his cousin in an attempt to see whether a bullet-resistant vest actually works.

Image shows the house where Joaquin Mendez and Alexandro Garibaldi lived.

According to a Tampa police report, the sad event occurred at 10 p.m. Saturday.

23-year-old Joaquin Mendez wore the bullet-resistant vest while Alexandro Garibaldi pulled the trigger as both tried to clear their doubts. They had reportedly argued out loud about how functional bulletproof vests are.

“Let’s see,” was Alexandro Garibaldi’s response as he pulled out a gun and shot at his cousin, according to police.

Officers responded to 2407 E Gordon St. minutes after the shooting, Tampa Bay reported. They said they found Mendez outside, wounded in the chest. Inside, they found blood and the vest, which had a bullet hole.

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Garibaldi [the shooter] denied shooting his cousin. He told officers someone must have done that because he heard a gunshot and arrived to find Mendez wounded.

Police said they heard a different story from an eyewitness who narrated what that the deceased was sitting down on a chair after putting on the vest, and wondering how functional it was. Garibaldi then said, “Let’s see”, and shot at his cousin.

There was no agreement between Mendez and Garibaldi to have the bullet-resistant vest tested with a gun.

Unfortunately, Mendez died in the hospital shortly afterwards.

Image: Alexandro Garibaldi

“In addition to the manslaughter with a weapon charge, Garibaldi faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm,” police said.