NEWS Police Officer's Son Shot and Killed

[wolfhunter]

10-year-old boy, the son of a police officer, was accidentally shot and killed Friday morning at his home, lawmen said.

Zachary Bass was fatally wounded at about 9:45 a.m., according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

The gun, a hunting shotgun, went off in his 15-year-old brother's hands.

"Four children were at home at the time, but no one else was injured," said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michele Nicholson.

Zachary's father, Crestview Police patrolman Hank Bass, was working when the gun went off.

"The mom and dad are really struggling right now," said Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Alexis Tibbetts "It's just been a difficult time."

Grief counselors immediately went to Walker Elementary School, where Bass attended.

"We're doing what we can to meet the needs of our students," said Walker principal Jeanine Kirkland.

Meanwhile, Crestview Police Chief Brian Mitchell asked the Sheriff's Office to handle the shooting investigation.

"We don't want to cloud our judgment either emotionally or factually since it involves one of our own," Mitchell said.

Tibbetts said the family's church was reaching out to support them.

Police work ran through the Bass family. Hank's father, Marvin Bass, was the assistant police chief in Crestview until he retired last year. And Marvin's father also was a police officer.

In 2005, Hank Bass crawled into a burning house to help a disabled man escape. Afterward, Bass was taken to the hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation.

Nicholson said an investigation into the shooting was ongoing. Lawmen didn't indicate how the shotgun was accessible or why the children were home from school.

"The one thing they know is it was a tragic accident," Nicholson said.

By: Andrew Gant
Source: Police officer's son shot, killed | investigation, mitchell, son - News - Northwest Florida Daily News

[HK4U]

Very sad. I don't know if the father failed to teach his children about gun safety or not but even in a police officers house this can happen if the rules of gun safety are ignored.

[sambo42xa]

VERY sad. +1 on HK4U said. Wolfhunter, keep us updated on this if You can.

[S&WM&P40]

Vary sad when i young life if taken over something that should have never happened. But i can not help but ask why was the gun loaded? Or i should say why was the ammo not locked up? Why are they home from school? All the pieces of the puzzle need to come together.

[toreskha]

Having it loaded isn't a problem. It should have been in a gun safe with kids in the house, but even that doesn't jump out at me. What really sticks out is the fact that the shotgun is apparently sentient and just "went off" without anyone doing anything to it.

Originally Posted by wolfhunter

The gun, a hunting shotgun, went off in his 15-year-old brother's hands.

There's two kids of gun owners: (1) Those who are safe, and (2) Those who eventually manage to kill themselves or someone else.

I have an uncle who once managed to pull a Plaxico and shot himself in the leg (or the foot, can't remember which). I wouldn't go hunting with him if he paid me.