Father accidentally shoots 5-year-old son in chest with AR-style rifle, officials say
By Jonathan Ayestas
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OAKLEY, California (KCRA) — A five-year-old boy underwent surgery after being accidentally shot in the chest by an AR-15-style rifle while his father was cleaning his guns, Bay Area officials said Monday.
Officers with the Oakley Police Department in Contra Costa County went to the 1700 block of Hemlock Court near Empire Avenue around 9:25 p.m. Sunday after a report of a man who accidentally shot himself. While on the way, police said the call was updated to reflect that it was a child who was shot in the torso.
Oakley police said officers arrived at the home at 9:28 p.m., and fire department and medical personnel arrived shortly afterward. The father was holding his child and applying pressure to the wound.
The child was airlifted to a hospital, and police said he is expected to recover.
Investigators learned that while cleaning his guns, the father retrieved his rifle from a gun case and accidentally pulled the trigger, police said. The father told investigators that he thought the rifle was empty.
“This was a very tragic event that occurred,” a statement from Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard read. “As we have learned more about what happened, we now know the gunshot wound suffered by the five-year-old boy was a grazing wound and not a penetrating wound. Even a graze however, from a rifle-fired bullet can cause devastating injuries. We are very thankful the injuries sustained by the boy are not worse than they are; an inch of difference of where the bullet struck the boy would have been a different, and more tragic, outcome. Even though we believe this to be an awful accident, some crucial errors of negligence were made. Firearms should always be treated as if they are loaded and one should never put a finger on the trigger of a firearm unless there is an intent to shoot it.”
Following the shooting, police said officers seized all weapons and other pieces of evidence from the home.
Once investigators complete their investigation, the police department said it will turn over its findings to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether it will file criminal charges.
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