Missouri Man Accidentally Shoots His 8-Year-Old After Giving Gun Safety Lesson, Charged

A Missouri dad’s gun safety lesson to his children Tuesday didn’t end well as he accidentally shot his 8-year-old right after it.

Phillip Lumas Sr., 45, of Jefferson City, was charged with felony second-degree domestic assault and misdemeanor second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Jefferson City News Tribune reported. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

Lumas told police that after winding up the brief safety lesson to his children, aged 8 and 6, as they grew curious about his guns, he shifted his attention toward the television whilst carrying out the routine maintenance of the gun, involving removing the magazine from the pistol, racking the round from the chamber, and dry-firing it. He said the 8-year-old boy startled him as he turned and the pistol discharged, striking the child in the chest. He said his wife rushed to the living room to only see the child in Lumas’ arm, saying he accidentally shot him.

A search of the residence yielded a loaded Ruger 9mm pistol lying master bedroom floor, right next to a 9mm shell casing matching those found in the pistol. The 6-year-old told police that Lumas shot the elder child, who they found to be his own. Lumas’ wife told officers that Lumas was on his regular nightly routine before the shooting happened.

Officers said Lumas was visibly upset during the interrogation and kept apologizing, adding that he had no criminal history, didn’t exhibit signs of intoxication and that his gun was licensed.

The kid was hospitalized and was in stable condition as of Wednesday.

A similar incident happened earlier this month in which an 8-year-old boy in Manhattan, New York City, accidentally shot himself in the hand while playing with his father's gun. The investigators said the gun was licensed and that his father worked as a private investigator. The child was rushed to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries but it wasn’t immediately clear if any charges were pressed against the parents.