As you may already know, all Native American reservations here in the United States are considered to be federal land. Which is why, when a crime is committed on a reservation, while the state police department may assist in the investigation, the charges are always brought in federal court.
Which is the case here, where an accidental gunshot that didn’t wound anyone, has resulted in federal charges being brought against an 86-year-old man. According to police, the man, whose name has not been released to the public, apparently became embroiled in an argument with his 18-year old great-grandson.
According to records provided by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department, the older man felt threatened inside his own home by the teenager after the fight was over. He went into his bedroom and grabbed a loaded 22 caliber handgun, which he then pointed at the teen in order to threaten him. He apparently had no intention of firing the weapon or shooting anyone, he simply wished to help himself feel less threatened.
Victim pushed away gun resulting in hole in floor
In the press release put out by the Sheriff’s Department, it explains that “the suspect pointed the handgun at the victim with the intent of scaring him.” However, this didn’t end well. “The victim pushed the handgun away”, which unfortunately resulted in the gun being accidentally fired, leaving a bullet hole in the living room floor.
Fortunately, the teen and his family disarmed the older man, and no one was harmed during the entire incident. But the police were still contacted, and an investigation was opened to determine exactly what had happened. The Michigan State Police assisted the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police during this investigation. Apparently alcohol was not a factor in this incident.
The man and his grandson are both members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, which is why the older man is now facing prosecution in the U.S. Federal Court in Bay City. Federal law prohibits what is called “unlawful weapons discharge”, and it can result in felony charges. We will keep you updated as this case unfolds in court.