A Texas county commissioner is dealing with a imaginable prison charge in Nebraska after accidentally shooting his 12-year-old grandson all the way through a wedding he was once officiating.
The shooting took place Saturday night time at a wedding being held outside close to the small the town of Denton in southeastern Nebraska, when Michael Gardner, 62, of Odessa, Texas, pulled out a revolver, intending to fireplace a clean spherical into the air to sign the beginning of the rite. But as he was once cocking the gun’s hammer, it fired, hitting the boy slightly below his left shoulder.
“I really don’t know exactly what happened,” Gardner advised The Associated Press on Wednesday from Beatrice, Nebraska, the place he is been staying because the incident. “I’ve been around guns all my life, and I’ve never had anything like this happen.”
Gardner, an Ecto County Commissioner in Texas, mentioned he was once officiating the wedding of his nephew at an outside venue about 10 miles southwest of the capital town of Lincoln. Gardner mentioned he made the clean spherical himself, the usage of an empty shell, some black gunpowder and scorching glue to carry it in combination. It was once the dried glue that hit the boy and brought about the damage, officers imagine. A news liberate from legislation enforcement mentioned Gardner fired the gun to get the eye of other people attending the wedding, however Gardner mentioned that is a mischaracterization.
“The gun was scripted into the wedding,” Gardner defined. “The gun was fired to signal the music to start and for the bride to start her march down the aisle.”
The boy was once taken by way of ambulance to a Lincoln sanatorium, then to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, the place he gained stitches and was once launched. He’s anticipated to completely recuperate.
Gardner mentioned he was once with the kid for it all.
“I never left his side,” Gardner mentioned. “There is nobody who feels worse about this than I do. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it.”
Gardner became himself in Monday to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, which has beneficial a charge of prison kid abuse — a depend that carries a sentence of as much as 3 years in jail and is in most cases reserved for intentional abuse leading to damage. Gardner was once booked and posted a $1,000 bond to be launched from prison.
“Just another example that playing with firearms — no matter what, even if they’re blanks — bad things can certainly happen,” Chief Deputy Ben Houchin mentioned following Gardner’s arrest. “We do not believe Michael intended to hurt his grandchild, but the act was not very smart.”
In any other ordinary transfer, prosecutors have now not charged Gardner with a criminal offense. A listening to was once held Tuesday during which prosecutors mentioned they’re going to make a decision by way of a scheduled Nov. 3 arraignment what fees — if any — will likely be filed in opposition to Gardner.
Lancaster County Chief Deputy Attorney Chris Turner said that Tuesday’s anticipatory arraignment listening to was once a departure from the norm, noting {that a} follow-up arraignment is in most cases held an afternoon or two after one of these listening to.
“We’re still investigating,” Turner mentioned Wednesday when requested why no fees have been filed.
Gardner identified {that a} prison charge may imply the top of his political profession. Gardner is 3 years into his first time period as Ecto County Commissioner and has plans to hunt reelection subsequent yr. Those with prison convictions are ineligible to carry the place of job, he mentioned.
“Politically, whatever happens, happens,” he mentioned. “And I’ll live with that. I would never make excuses for what happened. The responsibility lies with me.”
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