California Dad Accidentally Shoots 14-Year-Old Son While Fiddling With Newly-Purchased Gun

A man in California accidentally shot his 14-year-old son while "fiddling" with his new gun.

The incident took place inside a home in Cathedral City on Wednesday evening. Believing his newly-purchased gun was empty, the unidentified father pointed the weapon toward a bedroom wall and pulled the trigger. The bullet fired through the bedroom wall and hit his son.

"Apparently, he was messing around with the gun, fiddling with it…and unbeknownst to him, it was a loaded gun," said Sgt. Brian Barkley, KESQ reported.

"Luckily, because it went through the wall, it lessened the velocity of the bullet so the impact wasn’t too bad," he added.

The boy suffered a gunshot wound to the left side of his back, narrowly missing his vital organs. He was rushed to a local hospital where the bullet was successfully removed.

Following a preliminary investigation, detectives confirmed it was a case of accidental shooting and did not arrest the father, Yahoo News reported.

"The father was obviously distraught about shooting his 14-year-old son. It was obvious from the beginning it was an accident…there was no ill-intent there was no argument," said Sgt. Barkley, adding that the boy was in "good health."

An incident report will be submitted to the District Attorney’s office for review once its investigation is complete.

Meanwhile, the officer said that such incidents can be prevented with proper training.

"Go to a class…have an instructor that knows about firearms teach you how to manipulate that firearm, how to load it safely and unload it," he said.

Urging all gun owners to keep the weapons in a secure location and know how to handle them safely, he added, "Always point your gun in a safe direction, always treat a firearm as if it’s loaded. Know your target and beyond."

Last month, a man in Texas accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old daughter with a high-powered rifle while they were on a hunting trip. Police and medics arrived at the scene and found the girl with life-threatening injuries. She was rushed to a local hospital where she died hours later.