Man Accidentally Shoots Son Outside Gun Store

A Pennyslvania man accidentally shot and killed his 7-year-old son in a gun store parking lot yesterday, when his pistol went off in his hand, police tell the AP. The boy, Craig Loughrey, was strapping himself into his safety seat when his father Joseph, 44, set down a 9mm on the dashboard. The gun went off, hitting Craig. Loughrey says he had removed the gun's magazine earlier, and hadn't realized a bullet was still in the chamber. "This happens all too often," one police officer said.

Loughrey had been trying to sell the pistol to Twig's Reloading Den, along with a rifle, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, but the store wasn't interested. The owner says that after they left she heard a soft pop, but didn't realize what had happened until ambulances and police cars arrived. While Loughrey could potentially be charged with involuntary manslaughter, police say they doubt that will happen. "It is very clear-cut exactly what transpired here," one officer says. "It's obviously negligent and reckless to some degree." For more detail about the incident, see the Post-Gazette's report. (More gun accident stories.)