Police: Boy, 7, shot to death at Pa. gun store

Jan 2010
689
0
Pacific NW
7 hr ago
A 7-year-old boy was shot and killed at a Pennsylvania gun store when his father's weapon accidentally went off.

MERCER, Pa. — Authorities say a 7-year-old boy was shot to death when a gun accidentally went off as his father was getting into his truck outside a western Pennsylvania gun store.

The boy was shot Saturday morning at Twigs Reloading Den in East Lackawannock Township, 60 miles north of Pittsburgh. Store owner Leonard Mohney says it happened in the parking lot.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the boy was shot when his father's handgun went off as the man got into the truck while holding the gun.

Police say 44-year-old Joseph V. Loughrey told them he had emptied the magazine but didn't realize a bullet was still in the chamber. Seven-year-old Craig Allen Loughrey was shot in the chest and died at the scene.

State police are investigating the shooting as an accident.

This so sad.
Always, always check the chamber of any weapon twice. Then check one more time.
 
Jan 2009
1,684
0
s. greenlake *****
That is so sad.

Simple mistake that will follow him for the rest of his life.
 

mjn

Jan 2009
394
1
Tri-Cities, Wa
Always treat a firearm as if it is loaded. Always. And yes.... clear the chamber.

Unbelieveably sad. I cannot even imagine the grief he is going through right now..
 
Jan 2009
845
0
Renton, WA
So sad, and a preventable accident. As everyone is saying, this violates the first rule of gun safety, and should not have happened. Hard to imagine how the father must feel right now. :(


I've gotten in the habit of racking the slide on pistols several times quickly when clearing/checking. Like drop the mag, pull the slide and check the chamber, then rack the slide a few more times for good measure. Just another mental note of 'yeah I checked it, and racked it again to be sure'.
 

mjn

Jan 2009
394
1
Tri-Cities, Wa
So sad, and a preventable accident. As everyone is saying, this violates the first rule of gun safety, and should not have happened. Hard to imagine how the father must feel right now. :(


I've gotten in the habit of racking the slide on pistols several times quickly when clearing/checking. Like drop the mag, pull the slide and check the chamber, then rack the slide a few more times for good measure. Just another mental note of 'yeah I checked it, and racked it again to be sure'.

Yup. Me too.
 
Jan 2010
472
0
Bend, Or.
Brings tears to me eyes. I feel so bad for this father. I can't even fathom losing my children especially by my own hands.
 
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