FacebookA young boy shot his dad because he was upset his Xbox and PlayStation had been confiscated.
The 11-year-old, from Indiana, has now been charged with the offence after shooting his dad last month.
The incident happened on February 22, when court documents state the pre-teen boy shot his father – Indiana State Police officer Matt Makowski – in the bum.
Indiana State PoliceThe young boy used his dad’s own .45-caliber duty weapon in the incident, the South Bend Tribune reports, as per the Daily Mail.
The 11-year-old used the gun after previously retrieving it from his dad’s locked police car, which was parked outside the family’s home in Granger.
Makowski told authorities he kept the weapon locked inside the vehicle, in the hopes of keeping it away from his children. However, the 11-year-old still managed to get hold of it.
Police responded to reports of a shooting at the family’s home at approximately 11pm, where the boy’s parents were found in the master bedroom. The young boy surrendered to authorities without incident.
The 11-year-old told police he wanted to play on his PlayStation, Xbox, and computer – but he couldn’t because they had been taken away from him. He then reportedly warned police he was ‘going to get these simple things, or there would be a part 2’.
The boy’s mum, Allison Makowski, told police the couple were asleep when she heard a loud ‘gong’ followed quickly by her husband screaming in pain. After looking for her son, she found the service weapon outside the couple’s room, on the floor.
She rushed to get the gun and call 911, but was forced to run and hide in the room after she saw her son walking upstairs with a BB gun and his dad’s taser. Court records indicate Allison stayed in the locked room until police arrived.
FacebookThe games consoles had allegedly been removed from the home because the boy had a history of behaviour problems at school, court documents state.
The boy reportedly also told police he tested the taser on the family’s dog and that he had intended to shoot his dad in the head; the only reason he didn’t, was allegedly because of the way his dad was lying in bed.
The police officer was rushed to hospital immediately, and is said to be ‘steadily improving’.
The boy is due back in court on April 10; St. Joseph County prosecutors have filed a petition alleging delinquency for attempted murder.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).