CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Authorities said a North Carolina man was killed after he handed his 11-year-old stepdaughter his new gun and she accidentally shot him.
The Charlotte Observer reported that 19-year-old Brian Scott Reno was fatally shot in the chest at his home Friday night outside of Mooresboro.
Reno bought the .380 caliber pistol earlier that day, according to Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman.
The sheriff said Reno showed the gun to his stepdaughter as his 35-year-old wife Pamela Reno was sleeping.
Norman said Reno removed the magazine slide from the gun but he apparently failed to check the chamber. He said the girl pulled the trigger as she examined the gun.
Norman said the shooting was “absolutely an accident.” The sheriff said he does not expect anyone to be charged.
He told the Shelby Star that there are many victims in instances such as this one, including the 11-year-old girl who was very upset about the situation.
Read more: The Charlotte Observer and The Shelby Star
