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Father accidentally shoots, kills 14-year-old son at Sarasota gun range

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Stephen Brumby, 14, was accidentally killed by his father at a Sarasota gun range

SARASOTA, Fla. – A 14-year-old was killed Sunday after being shot by his father at a gun range, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said.

Stephen Brumby, 14, was accidentally killed by his father at a Sarasota gun range
Stephen Brumby, 14, was accidentally killed by his father at a Sarasota gun range

The shooting, which occurred after 3 p.m. at High Noon Gun Shop on Bee Ridge Road, was reported as an accident, deputies said.

Video footage shows his father, William C. Brumby, reaching at the back of his shirt to remove a shell casing using the same hand in which he held a gun. William Brumby then unintentionally fired off a round that struck his son, Stephen J. Brumby, who was behind him in a shooting lane, deputies said.

Two of Stephen’s siblings, a 24-year-old brother and a 12-year-old sister, witnessed the shooting, according to deputies. He had a total of six siblings and was the fourth of seven children, according to his family.

David Brumby, 24, said the shell casing was hot, which is why his father had a jerk reaction.

“Spent casing went down my dad’s shirt. Because it was super hot he immediately tried to brush it off,” he said.

High Noon Gun Range in Sarasota

The gun was not fired directly at his brother, but bullets ricocheted off the wall, David said.

“The gun actually fired straight up and ricocheted into my little brother. I was actually the one who told my dad that Stephen has been shot. I was five feet away from it when it happened,” David said.

Stephen’s blood spilled onto the floor at the gun range, David said.

“There was so much bloodbath at the shooting range that he quite possibly bled out right there with the way that the bullet entered him,” David said.

The teen was pronounced dead after being taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, deputies said.

William Brumby is not facing any charges at this time, deputies said. The family is hoping to raise money in donations through GoFundMe.

No further information was immediately available.

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