A Scranton man facing felony charges after police say his ten-year-old son shot himself in the hand with his gun waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Last month, police charged Michael Lemongello with endangering the welfare of his son.
At about 9:30 p.m. on May 19, city police were called to Regional Hospital of Scranton on a report of a youngster with a gunshot wound to the hand.
Officers determined the 10-year-old had accidently shot himself in the left hand with a loaded 9 mm Taurus firearm at a residence on Cherry Street in Scranton.
The bullet fractured his hand, passing through his palm and exiting the top.
Lemongello, 56, of 646 Cherry St., told police he usually kept the loaded 9 mm Taurus firearm in a safe place, but had taken it out and placed it on the shelf temporarily.Officers spoke with the 10-year-old who said he didn’t know the gun was loaded.
“I picked it up and was clicking it, but it wasn’t going forward,” he told officers. “When it did go forward, it went through my hand.”
Lemongello faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child. The case has been transferred to Lackawanna County Court.