Missouri father charged with accidentally shooting 8-year-old son
Phillip D. Lumas Sr. was arrested and later charged with second-degree domestic assault and child endangerment following the incident
Authorities say a father in Missouri man is virtually inconsolable after he allegedly shot his 8-year-old son earlier this week.
Police say that early Tuesday, Phillip D. Lumas Sr. accidentally shot his child inside their Jefferson City apartment.
According to a local ABC affiliate, following the incident, Lumas was arrested and later charged with second-degree domestic assault and child endangerment following the near-fatal incident that took place at about 2:30 a.m.
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Lumas claimed he was putting away his gun when his son and another child entered his bedroom. He told police that he decided to use the interruption as an opportunity to teach the children about gun safety.
Shortly thereafter when he thought the children had left the room, he got distracted by the TV while unloading the gun. Unfortunately, that’s when his son startled him and caused the 9 mm Ruger pistol to accidentally go off.
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His wife corroborated the account, telling responding officers that she heard a gunshot in the bedroom and the next thing she knew her husband was running toward her holding their injured child. In the probable cause statement, police confirm that the parents called 911 while driving the boy to the Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City.
A spokesperson for the Jefferson City Police Department said there was no updated information about the child’s condition. Court records showed Lumas was released without bond. He was set to be arraigned Friday.
