3-year-old NC boy killed with muzzle-loading rifle

HEMBY BRIDGE, NC (AP) — A three-year-old North Carolina boy has been shot and killed by his father, who was showing another son how to fire the muzzle-loading rifle. The Union County Sheriff’s Office told multiple media outlets the victim was Jesse David Simpson.

Authorities say the boy was visiting his grandparents’ house about 10 miles southeast of Charlotte when the shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Deputies say the boy’s father was showing his four-year-old son how to fire the muzzle-loading rifle when the three-year-old stepped onto the patio and was hit in the chest.

Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Easley says the .50-caliber rifle was an antique and has to be filled with powder and can only fire one shot at a time.

No charges have been filed.

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