A Texas officer is released on parole for accidentally shooting his grandson at a wedding

LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — A Texas county commissioner must spend a year on probation for accidentally shooting his grandson during a wedding he was officiating in Nebraska.

Michael Gardner, 63, of Odessa, Texas, was convicted Monday of child abuse in connection with the September 2023 shooting. His then-12-year-old grandson survived the shoulder injury.

“This is something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life,” said Gardner, who was recently re-elected as a county commissioner in Ector County, Texas.

The shooting occurred when Gardner pulled out a revolver and tried to fire a blank cartridge into the air to signal the start of the outdoor ceremony near the small town of Denton in southeastern Nebraska. But as he cocked the gun, a shot went off and hit the now 13-year-old boy.

The wound was about three inches long and four inches wide and reached deep into the boy’s muscle, causing significant tissue and muscle atrophy, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Gardner had performed his nephew’s wedding at an outdoor venue about 10 miles southwest of the capital city of Lincoln. Gardner said he made the blank himself, using an empty bullet casing, some black powder and hot glue to hold it together.

Gardner was initially charged with second-degree aggravated assault, but in July he pleaded guilty to no contest to a reduced misdemeanor charge.

Lancaster County Assistant District Attorney Eric Miller said he was appalled that someone would bring a gun in front of such a crowd.

“I understand this isn’t a supermarket shooting or anything like that,” he said. “But what he did was reckless behavior.”