JACKSON, Ohio, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The father of a 4-year-old boy who shot and wounded a teen with a shotgun said he removed firearms from his Ohio home following the incident.
The boy, apparently angry at 17-year-old Nathan Beavers, loaded a shotgun and fired it at the youth, spraying pellets in his arm and leg, the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Tuesday. Beavers is recovering at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus.
The boy is in the custody of his parents "until we see what the prosecutor wants to do," Jackson County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Ephlin said.
Prosecutor Jonathan Blanton said the shooting had a "weird, weird set of facts," adding he doubted the 4-year-old would end up in the juvenile justice system over the Sunday incident at the 4-year-old's grandmother's home near Jackson, Ohio.
The boy's father said counseling was being arranged for his son, adding he was shocked his son knew how to load and fire the shotgun. The boy has watched others shoot but wasn't taught how to handle a gun, the parent told the Dispatch.
"It was an accident. He just thought it was another toy gun," the father said. "He didn't appreciate what it could do."
"The guns are gone out of our house," he added. "They're not going to be around with the kids anymore. It's not worth it."
