Father arrested for accidentally shooting teenage son in the chest
Justin Mergel was faces charges after accidentally shooting his son in the chest while unsafely demonstrating how to handle a gun
By Zoe Strothers, Lezla Gooden, Dylan Fearon and Rob Polansky
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MERIDEN, Connecticut (WFSB) — A father was arrested for accidentally shooting his teenage son in Meriden earlier this month.
Justin Mergel was said to be cooperative when he turned himself in on Friday, Aug. 26.
Mergel was unsafely demonstrating the handling of a 9mm handgun to his 17-year-old son when the firearm went off on Aug. 12, police said.
The boy suffered a serious gunshot wound to the chest.
At the time, police said the father was planning on taking his son to a gun range soon to take firearms training classes.
He was airlifted to a trauma center, authorities said.
The victim was hospitalized in stable condition. He was still recovering as of Friday morning, according to police.
Mergel was charged with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
Neighbors told Channel 3 that that they were trying to stay calm, but knew the family very well.
“Tough things happen and I would just encourage people to love each other In this moment and maybe find a way to comfort one another and it’s not a time to point fingers or cast blame,” said Brian Hoeing, a neighbor.
“I hope you can get through all this and be a family again,” said neighbor Myrna Barbragli.
The incident is still under investigation.
Mergel was held on a $75,000 bond and given court date of Friday.
Police said that the incident would have been avoided if basic firearms safety rules had been followed.
“Treat all guns as though they are loaded and take the time to double check and make sure they are unloaded when handling them,” police said in a news release. “Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction. Keep your finger of the trigger until you are ready to shoot. As a reminder, the Meriden Police Department has gun locks available to enhance gun safety if needed. The free locks are at the front desk of the police department and can be provided upon request.”
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