Wisconsin Deputy Charged After Letting 3-Year-Old Fire Shotgun, Wounding Colleague and Son

A Racine County sheriff's deputy faces four felony charges after his toddler daughter pulled a shotgun trigger during a turkey hunt, hitting a fellow deputy and his 7-year-old son.

Wisconsin Deputy Let Toddler Pull Trigger, Shooting Colleague and 7-Year-Old at Turkey Hunt

A Wisconsin sheriff's deputy has been charged with four counts related to a hunting incident in which he allegedly allowed his 3-year-old daughter to fire a shotgun, striking a fellow officer and the man's young son, Law & Crime reports.

James Lehman, 35, an off-duty deputy with the Racine County Sheriff's Office, faces two counts of reckless injury with a deadly weapon and two counts of injury by negligent use of a weapon. The charges stem from a youth turkey hunt held April 12 at Honey Creek Wildlife Area in Burlington, Wisconsin.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by local Fox affiliate WITI, Lehman spotted what he believed was a turkey head and allowed his daughter to pull the trigger of his semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun. The shot struck a 40-year-old colleague and the man's 7-year-old son.

Both victims were transported to a hospital after being hit by multiple pellets. The adult victim sustained injuries to his back, lower torso, and left arm, and was discharged the same evening. His son, however, remained hospitalized with injuries to his head and spinal cord. On June 5, the boy underwent surgery, but doctors were unable to remove pellets from his skull, brain, and spine, police said.

After his release from the hospital, the colleague told investigators he had warned Lehman "not to hunt on his hunting spots." He and his son had been dressed in camouflage and using a turkey call at the time of the shooting. The man told police he believed Lehman had mistaken his hand — which was holding the turkey call — for a turkey's head based on the timing of the shot.

Lehman, when interviewed by police, acknowledged he was "not a very experienced turkey hunter" and that the outing was "one of his first times out hunting independently," according to NBC affiliate WTMJ. Investigators noted that Lehman did not hold a hunter safety certificate, having been exempted due to prior military service.

Under Wisconsin law, hunters without a completed hunter education course may still hunt provided they remain within arm's reach of someone who has completed the course or holds a valid hunting license. The state's hunting mentorship programs extend this allowance to children hunting alongside qualified adults.

Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld is assisting in the investigation after the Racine County district attorney recused the office because both the defendant and the victim are employees of the Racine County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office told WTMJ it has launched a separate internal investigation.

Lehman has been placed on administrative leave. He is due in court on September 10.

Source: Law & Crime