BUSHKILL, Pa. — A 13-year-old boy is recovering, hours after his aunt accidentally shot him in the stomach with a handgun in Pike County, state police at Blooming Grove said.
The shooting happened just after 4 p.m. Tuesday on Kensington Drive in Lehman Township. After an investigation, the Pike County district attorney's office decided against filing criminal charges.
The 13-year-old, who was not identified, was flown by helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital — Cedar Crest for emergency surgery. He is stable, state police said.
The teenager's aunt, who is 45, told state police she was in her bedroom preparing to unload her .40 caliber Glock 27 when her nephew and cousin "barged" in to try and surprise her. Startled, she dropped the pistol and it went off when it hit the floor, she told investigators.
Her story lined up with the accounts given by the two boys who entered her room, state police said.
Once the gun went off, it struck her 13-year-old nephew in the abdomen. She quickly called 911 and applied pressure to the teenager's wound.
