The vast majority of parents in Missouri and across the country are dedicated to ensuring the safety of their children. For some parents with guns in the household, this includes providing lessons about gun safety. Unfortunately, police say that a lesson in one home turned to tragedy, resulting in an assault charge against a father and the hospitalization of a child.
The incident reportedly happened on a day in April. A 45-year-old man says that his two children asked questions about his pistols, prompting him to give the 6-year-old and 8-year-old a lesson on gun safety. After the lesson, the man reports believing that the two children had left the room.
According to reports, the man began what is described of his routine with the gun, which he says includes dry firing it. He says that the older child startled him, causing him to fire the pistol, allegedly shooting the child in the chest. The child is in the hospital in stable condition.
As a result of the incident, the Missouri man is now charged with endangering the welfare of a child and domestic assault, a misdemeanor and a felony, respectively. Unfortunately, what reports indicate was a father’s attempt to educate his children has turned into a double tragedy for the family as the man must now respond to the criminal charges filed against him. Because he may feel unprepared to adequately address the charges on his own, he may decide to ask an experienced criminal defense attorney to guide him as he makes the critical decisions that he is now facing.