JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. – A 7-year-old boy was charged with a felony after he shot his father Sunday, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police said the child got into an argument with his father, went into a back bedroom, loaded a .22 caliber handgun, came back into the living room and shot his father in the wrist.
The boy told police he was upset about staying with his father for the weekend. He is facing a juvenile charge of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
The boy’s father, Charles Yancey, 37, and stepmother, Ruby Yancey, 34, also face charges of neglect of a dependent. Police said the home’s condition was “deplorable.”
When officers responded to the shooting, they found so much trash and clothes in a bedroom where kids sleep, police couldn’t see the floor, said the Johnson County prosecutor.
The charges against the Yancey's are also linked to the 7-year-old’s access to a handgun and ammunition. Officers also said they found more than one unsecured gun in the house.
A neighbor of the Yancey's said she was surprised to hear of what happened.
"I've chatted with the mom and she never indicated that there were ever any problems," neighbor Missy Worstell said. "My granddaughter had played with her son."
Greenwood police say they had been to the home days prior to this incident after the boy apparently took a taser from Ruby's dresser. He complained that it didn't work.
Also, according to court records, the boy made inferences that he wanted to, or dreamed about, killing Charles and Ruby.
The child was admitted to Community Hospital North after a psychological evaluation, according to police.
