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.
Associated Press
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Wow So Sad…
That’s crazy
WHY wasn’t there a gun lock on it???
why was it loaded
This is why you never leave a clip in a gun, ALWAYS check/clear the chamber and keep the safety ON.
Man… so sad.
Nevermind the lock it should have been on safety.. its not hard to unsafety your firearm if needed.. sad story indeed
Even if the dad gets sent to prison for manskaughter, nothing that the court system will do to him can ever hurt him worse than him accidentally taking his son’s life.
omg, thats soo horribly sad!!
Sad. If he was carrying it for protection, that a “clip” should be in it and it should be loaded… but WHY was it in his hand????????
heartbreaking
Tragic
This is sad! DO NOT SEND HIM TO JAIL! This is one of those cases where you just let the poor guy be and let him morn.
So tragic…Id never be able to live with myself!
i was behind the 8 year old at the machine gun shootout in westfield with a 30 round mp5k clip in my hand doesnt matter what charges the dad gets by the state it wont compare to the pain hes going to go through whether or not the legal system thinks they have a clue
ill be the judge and jury right now it was an accident.
This is so tragic and heartbreaking
this was an accident and hopefully and they don’t charge him. Can you imagine living with this? Prayers to this man & his family
@Brian, read the story. He wasn’t carrying the gun for protection. He brought it to the store to try to sell it. Either way, my heart breaks for him and his family. I don’t think I could live with myself after something like this.
Gun should not have been loaded. Be responsible gun users. Tragic and easily preventable, and one of the biggest ****-ups a person can possibly do. Thoughts with the family.
Tragic
So sad..
That’s horrible ;-(
I agree with you Charles. This man and his family must be in agony over their tragic loss. May this boy rest in peace and his family find solitude in time and with prayer.
Wow, so sad
My heart is broken reading this. I can’t begin to imagine his pain. Probably selling the guns to help out with money for his sons Christmas. I m going to pray hard for this man.