No charges to be filed in shooting death

Staff report

MERCER, PA.

No charges will be filed against a father in the shooting death of his 7-year-old son.

Mercer County District Attorney Robert G. Kochems said Tuesday that, after reviewing the Pennsylvania State Police investigation and consulting with their investigators, he decided the death was an accident.

Joseph V. Loughrey and his son, Craig, of Fredonia, Pa., were outside a hunting and camping store in East Lackawannock Township on Dec. 8 when the accident occurred.

Loughery was trying to sell the gun, a 9mm Taurus handgun, at the store. While he and his son were getting back in his pickup truck, the gun discharged as he set it on the console. The bullet hit the boy in the chest.

Loughery told police he had unloaded the magazine at home but did not realize there was still a round in the chamber.

“Mr. Loughrey had a mistaken but good-faith belief that he had properly secured and stored the firearm unloaded in his home and his belief was the proximate cause of the death of his son and not that he was carrying the firearm in his vehicle,” Kochems said.