POLSON — Lake County prosecutors say a 3-year-old boy who died of a gunshot wound last week was shot in the back by an intoxicated man who said he didn’t think the gun was loaded.
KERR-AM reports Galen Hawk is charged with negligent homicide in the Oct. 22 death of Lonato Moran-Allen.
Charging documents say Hawk saw the boy holding his gun and took it away from him. Hawk said the boy then ran down the hallway, looking back toward him while pretending to shoot a toy gun at Hawk. Hawk said he pointed his gun at Lonato in response and pulled the trigger, believing the gun wasn’t loaded because the magazine was in his pocket.
Hawk, who is 26, made an initial appearance in Justice Court in Polson on Friday. He did not enter a plea and his bail was set at $100,000.