The wedding literally started with a bang.
A 62-year-old man officiating a wedding in Nebraska has been charged after he fired a blank round to rally up guests and ended up injuring his 12-year-old grandson over the weekend, officials say.
Michael Gardner tried to corral the guests by firing a blank round from a Pietta 1860 snub nose revolver into the air outside the Hillside Events venue near Denton on Saturday, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said in a news conference Monday.
He shot the round to gain the attention of the wedding attendees, officials said, but his plan … backfired.
“When he decided to cock back the hammer of this revolver, it slipped and it shot his grandson in the left shoulder causing an injury,” Houchin said.
Houchin said that Gardner created the .45 Colt ammunition blank by adding black powder and glue to a casing. “We believe the glue is what injured the child,” he said.
Deputies responded to the scene just before 6 p.m. local time. The child, from Odessa, Texas, was taken to an area hospital, then transported to Omaha for further treatment. The injury is not life-threatening, officials said.
It’s unclear if the wedding festivities continued following the shooting incident.
Gardner, also of Odessa, turned himself in to authorities Monday where he was lodged on a charge of child abuse for neglectfully firing a firearm and injuring someone.
“Playing with firearms, no matter what, even if they’re blanks, bad things can certainly happen,” Houchin said. “We do not believe Michael intended to hurt his grandchild, but the act was not very smart. We do not believe alcohol was involved in the incident.”
Houchin said charges came down due to the use of the firearm and the seriousness of the injury.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
