Police say Dawn Marie Freeman shot her husband after confronting him about a handgun she believed had repeatedly been left unsecured.
ADAMS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A 44-year-old Cambria County woman is facing a criminal homicide charge after police say she shot and killed her husband during an argument over the way he stored a handgun in their home.
Dawn Marie Freeman is charged in the Oct. 4 death of her husband, 40-year-old Bradley Freeman. She also faces charges of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. Court records show she was taken to the Cambria County Prison without bail after her arraignment. The charges are allegations, and the case has not been resolved in court.
Pennsylvania State Police became involved after local authorities requested assistance with a death investigation at a home in the 300 block of Mine Road in Adams Township. Troopers arrived at about 6:37 p.m. and determined that the couple had been involved in a verbal argument before a firearm was discharged, according to police and court records cited in multiple reports. Police said there was no continuing threat to the public.
Investigators said the dispute centered on a Smith & Wesson 9mm semiautomatic handgun that Dawn Freeman believed had repeatedly been left in places where children could reach it. According to a probable-cause affidavit, Freeman told investigators she had raised concerns about the gun for roughly two years and had repeatedly asked her husband to keep it secured.
Freeman told investigators that she saw the handgun on a living-room coffee table on Oct. 4 and asked her husband to put it somewhere safe, according to the affidavit. She said he refused. Investigators allege Freeman then picked up the gun, pointed it at Bradley Freeman and pulled the trigger. She told authorities she wanted to make a point or teach him a lesson about firearm safety, according to accounts of the court filing.
Bradley Freeman was struck once in the chest and fell to the floor, police said. Investigators said Dawn Freeman threw the handgun aside and called for help. One of the couple’s sons, who was in the home, helped contact 911 and performed CPR until emergency crews arrived. Bradley Freeman was pronounced dead at the residence.
Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees later determined that Bradley Freeman died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. His death was ruled a homicide, a medical classification indicating that another person caused the death. The coroner’s ruling does not determine criminal guilt, which is decided through the court process.
Investigators recovered the 9mm handgun from the living room, according to court records. Reports citing the probable-cause affidavit also said authorities found a spent cartridge casing in the room. Those items became part of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Dawn Freeman’s statements to investigators are a central part of the allegations described in the charging documents. Authorities say she acknowledged handling and firing the weapon. The available records do not establish how her defense will challenge the prosecution’s account, and it was not immediately clear from the reviewed reports whether she had entered a plea.
Freeman remained in custody as the criminal case moved through Cambria County court. A future hearing has been reported in the case, but published accounts have listed differing dates, making the precise next proceeding unclear. The homicide and related charges remain pending.
Author note: Last updated October 9, 2026.