ODESSA, TX – A 62-year-old Texas man, Michael Gardner, is facing legal repercussions after accidentally shooting his 12-year-old grandson at a wedding ceremony in Nebraska. The incident occurred on Saturday at Hillside Events, when Gardner attempted to fire a blank round from a Pietta 1860 snub nose revolver into the air to gather the attention of the guests.
According to Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Ben Houchin, the wedding had started late. Someone had forgotten one of the wedding rings that were going to be exchanged during the ceremony, which caused a delay. This mishap led guests to disperse around the venue while they waited for the wedding to begin.
In an attempt to regroup the attendees, Gardner decided to fire his revolver. However, the gun slipped, discharging a round that struck his grandson in the shoulder. The round, which contained black powder glued together, was not lethal but caused an injury that required hospitalization. Houchin stated that the glue from the round is believed to have caused the injury. Despite the incident being deemed an accident, Gardner is facing a child abuse charge due to the negligence that led to the injury of the young boy.
Houchin emphasized that while they do not believe Gardner intended to harm his grandson, his actions were careless. “It’s just kind of neglectful to take a gun out that has blanks and fire it amongst people,” Houchin said. Gardner surrendered to authorities on Monday.