A man accused of fatally shooting his friend in the head while "messing around" in a forest south of Adelaide has been ordered to stand trial.
Hayden Dove Fenton, 30, faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to unlawfully killing Bailey Robert Davenport, 21, at Second Valley Reserve in Parawa in July 2017.
In May last year, the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew a charge of endangering life against Mr Fenton but seven months later charged him with manslaughter.
Mr Davenport was airlifted to hospital with a gunshot wound to the head and died from his injuries the following day.
Prosecutors alleged Mr Fenton took a distinctive rifle to the forest where he and a group of friends had planned to cut wood and go hunting.
During a bail application in December, Sergeant Stephen Andrews said the rifle was faulty and "prone to accidentally discharge when it was bumped or mishandled".
'The accused was freaking out that he had shot him'
He said witnesses reported that as the group sat around a campfire, Mr Fenton mentioned that the rifle "was jammed".
The court was told the group "suddenly heard a bang" and saw the accused directing the firearm towards the ground.
"One of the witnesses said he heard the accused say words to the effect, 'he's been shot'," Sergeant Andrews said.
"The accused was freaking out that he had shot him by accident."
Mr Fenton was remanded on continuing bail to face an arraignment hearing in Adelaide's District Court in November, at which time a trial date is expected to be set.
