PITTSBURGH – Police say a 9-year-old boy was teasing his dog with the laser sight on his sleeping father's pistol before he accidentally shot his 6-year-old brother in the neck at their western Pennsylvania home.
The victim's father and stepmother, Christopher and Crista McNeely, were charged with child endangerment Thursday because police say both knew the father's loaded pistol had been left on a kitchen counter.
Attorneys for the Ford City couple declined to comment on the charges, first reported by the (Kittanning) Leader-Times.
State police also charged Christopher McNeely with allowing minors to possess firearms and reckless endangerment. Police say the 29-year-old stored five long guns in the 9-year-old's bedroom, along with 8,600 rounds.
The 6-year-old was critically wounded Aug. 5 but is now in outpatient physical therapy.
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