Bend man who accidentally shot his 7-year-old son facing assault, other charges; boy recovering at Portland hospital

(Update: Adding area video; father arrested by citation after shooting son)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 32-year-old Bend man who accidentally shot his 7-year-old son with a handgun at their home Sunday afternoon has been cited on assault and other charges, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said Monday. The boy is recovering at a Portland-area hospital.

Deputies were dispatched around 2:30 p.m. to a manufactured home park in the 64000 block of Hunnell Road on initial reports that a 7-year-old boy had been accidentally shot while a family member was manipulating a handgun, Sergeant Jason Wall said.

An investigation determined that the boy’s father “was manipulating a handgun in the living room of his residence,” Wall said in a news release. “His 7-year-old son was in the room as well when the firearm discharged, a round striking him in the area of his armpit.”

The boy was first taken to St. Charles Bend and later to a Portland-area hospital, where Wall said he was in stable condition Monday morning.

Sheriff’s detectives assisted in the investigation, interviewing everyone who was present and obtaining a search warrant for the home to collect evidence.

The boy’s father cooperated with the investigation and was cited in lieu of custody on charges of third-degree assault, recklessly endangering another person and negligent wounding. (NewsChannel 21’s policy is to not name criminal suspects until formal charges are filed; court records show no Oregon criminal history for the father.)

Wall said the investigation is ongoing and more details could be released when available.