Boy, 7, shot to death at Pennsylvania gun store
MERCER, Pa. (AP) - A man's handgun went off while he was holding it as he got into his truck in the parking lot of a western Pennsylvania gun store Saturday, and the shot killed his 7-year-old son, authorities said.
Joseph V. Loughrey, 44, of Sharpsville, was getting into the truck when the 9 mm handgun discharged, wounding Craig Allen Loughrey in the chest, according to state police. The boy died at the scene at Twigs Reloading Den in East Lackawannock Township, 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Investigators said Loughrey told them he didn't realize there was a bullet still in the chamber. "This happens all too often where people think the gun was empty," Lt. Eric Hermick told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Loughrey was trying to sell two guns at the store - one a scope rifle and the other, the handgun, state police said. The owners told Loughrey the store doesn't buy guns so Loughrey and his son returned to the truck with them. Loughrey put the boy in the passenger seat and loaded the rifle into the truck, state police said. He was attempting to get inside and reached to put the handgun in the center storage console when it fired, they said.
Loughrey was questioned by state police, who said he was cooperative and distraught. The shooting is being investigated as an accident, although Loughrey could face charges, including manslaughter and negligence, Hermick told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"I know that little kid was everything to him," Mark McLaughlin of Fredonia, a friend and co-worker of Loughrey's at Superior Well Services in Fredonia, told the Tribune-Review.
Messages left for the coroner's office and at a listing in Loughrey's name were not immediately returned.
Joseph V. Loughrey, 44, of Sharpsville, was getting into the truck when the 9 mm handgun discharged, wounding Craig Allen Loughrey in the chest, according to state police. The boy died at the scene at Twigs Reloading Den in East Lackawannock Township, 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Investigators said Loughrey told them he didn't realize there was a bullet still in the chamber. "This happens all too often where people think the gun was empty," Lt. Eric Hermick told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Loughrey was trying to sell two guns at the store - one a scope rifle and the other, the handgun, state police said. The owners told Loughrey the store doesn't buy guns so Loughrey and his son returned to the truck with them. Loughrey put the boy in the passenger seat and loaded the rifle into the truck, state police said. He was attempting to get inside and reached to put the handgun in the center storage console when it fired, they said.
Loughrey was questioned by state police, who said he was cooperative and distraught. The shooting is being investigated as an accident, although Loughrey could face charges, including manslaughter and negligence, Hermick told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"I know that little kid was everything to him," Mark McLaughlin of Fredonia, a friend and co-worker of Loughrey's at Superior Well Services in Fredonia, told the Tribune-Review.
Messages left for the coroner's office and at a listing in Loughrey's name were not immediately returned.
Guns do not fire themselves, he pulled the trigger. Â
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Tragedy it is, but there is no one to blame but himself. Â Gun ownership comes with education, regiment, and responsibility.
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Now to the NRA president - maybe if the kid had a gun he would have had a chance? Â This is exactly why I gave up my NRA card - gun ownership and training can do nothing if someone unexpectedly shoot you at close range. Â
From images of him on UPI he doesn't look very bright. Got his camo on. Tough guy. Stupid.
Feel so bad for the little guy. It amazes me how many people own semi-auto firearms and don't know that a round remains in the chamber after the magazine is removed. RIP
Damn... just... damn... Â
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Rest in peace, little Craig...Â
Damn? Damn? Are you kidding me? Damn is when you get a splinter in your finger.
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This is an outrage. An innocent child has been killed by his own father because of his father's stupidity and carelessness. And because any idiot have a gun without knowing how to use it.
Apparently we, as Americans, are simply resigned to the fact that these kinds of senseless tragedies (or worse) will happen with all too often regularity, and so we must just cross our fingers hope that it's not you or me on the wrong end of the gun.
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Your life was cut much to short child. Rest in peace.Â
1) Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. 2) Never point a firearm at anyone / anything you don't want to kill / destroy. 3) Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are on target and ready to fire. 4) Be aware of your backstop and what lies beyond. How many of these rules did he violate?
Another child lost senslessly to someone violating basic firearms safety. This makes all of us gun owners look bad and fuels the fires of those who would love to strip away the 2nd Amendment. My prayers to the family of this little one. I truly hope this is a reminder to everyone to check and double check when you clear your firearms. This kind of tragedy is unacceptable, period.
@protector         I daresay the media goes out of their way to find these stories.
@protector Not to worry. Lots of gun owners make gun owners look bad.
Always! ALWAYS assume the gun is loaded until you verify for yourself that it is not!!!! Remove the rounds, if any from the chamber(s), remove the clip, sight down the barrel from the action (not muzzle end, thank you) to prove to yourself that the weapon is unloaded.
Stupid. Absolutely stupid. He violated all four basic rules of gun handling. There is no excuse at all for this. None. Period.
He didn't think there was a bullet in the chamber, so that made it ok to put his finger on the trigger and squeeze without caring where it was pointed? The language here is ridiculous -- the gun "went off" while he was "holding it". He was getting into the truck when it "discharged" -- and what was his finger doing while all these other things were going on?!?? They make it sound like the weapon suddenly became possessed and took on a life of its own. I thought the saying was "guns don't kill people, people kill people" right? So who killed the boy, because they sure make it sound like his father had absolutely nothing to do with this freak and random occurance. Sounds like criminal negligence and manslaughter to me, but then I'm not a Pennsytucky gun nut.
Yah gotta jus love guns! They are such a tool for good!