I did go and have a little rummage on google - first he said he had balanced a wine glass on her head, then he said the gun had fell and accidentally went off as it hit the table and then reading through his introduction to Queer it looks like he is sort of confessing it happened on winds of hate and malevolence. I looked up Denton Welch who he says he was in spiritual communication with and who is listed on Wikipedia as having a partner called Eric so I just have to guess Burroughs was gay, semi in denial, don't I?
looks like he was beset by guilt over shooting her but didn't get into trouble with the police, he talks at length about Mexicans killing each other all the time and about the police being so easy to bribe.
