A Schuylkill County man was jailed earlier this week after police say his rifle fired and the shot hit his toddler son.
Police in West Penn Township say they were called to a home on Winter Mountain Rd. on Sunday for a report of a 3-year-old being shot with a rifle.
At the scene, police say they approached Jeremy Schlier, 31, of Andreas, who was holding a child and had a piece of material covering a wound. When police initially asked Schlier what happened, he reportedly said that his gun had fallen over and fired a shot.
West Penn Police Chief Jason Lorah said he began providing immediate care to the wound, which did not appear to have an exit point, by wrapping it in gauze.
The child’s mother arrived on scene and rode with her son by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
Schlier was taken into custody and taken back to the West Penn Township Police station.
While being questioned by police, Schlier reportedly said he had gone to the basement to get his drink and cigarettes. He said he bumped a .22-caliber rifle that was leaning against a couch, causing it to slide to the floor.
Schlier reportedly admitted to police that he knew he was on probation and prohibited from possessing a gun so he called his uncle to take it from him. He said he didn’t check to see if the gun was loaded when he walked out of the basement with it in his right hand.
As he walked up a hill, he said he remembered his cigarettes so he moved the gun to his left hand and set the gun down on a playhouse. When he set the gun down, Schlier said he must have bumped the trigger and the gun went off.
At the same time, Schlier’s son was running back and forth at the top of the driveway, he said, and was struck by the bullet that was discharged.
No report was given on the child’s condition.
Police later confirmed that Schlier was on probation out of Carbon County. Schlier was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker on Sunday night. He’s been charged with reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a firearm.
Kilker set bail at $100,000 cash and Schlier was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison.
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