Father charged after child shot in Jefferson City

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Investigators say a Jefferson City man was remorseful after he allegedly shot his 8-year-old son accidentally at their apartment early Tuesday.

Phillip D. Lumas Sr. was arrested and charged with second-degree domestic assault and child endangerment after the shooting at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Court records show Lumas was released without bond.

Lumas was putting away his gun when his son and another child, age 6, entered his bedroom, according to a probable cause statement. Lumas told police that he was demonstrating gun safety to the children. He told investigators that he later thought the children had left the room and he turned his attention to the TV while unloading the gun.

Lumas said his son then startled him and the gun, a 9 mm Ruger pistol, went off, according to the statement.

Lumas' wife told police she heard a gunshot in the bedroom then saw Lumas running toward her holding the injured child, according to the statement. The couple took their son to the hospital, calling 911 on the way, police said.

The statement says the couple took the child to Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City and medics then took him to University Hospital in Columbia.

A Jefferson City Police Department spokesman said he didn't have any updated information about the child's condition.

Lumas is set to be arraigned Friday. He did not have a lawyer listed in online court records.