DA’s office announces no charges to be filed in Martic Township campground fatal shooting

No charges will be filed related to the fatal shooting of a child at a Martic Township campground in October, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Pennsylvania State Police responded to Tucquan Park Family Campground the night of Oct. 20 for a report of a shooting . Inside a travel trailer, investigators found a 3-year-old boy of Lignum, Virginia, in Culpeper County, with a gunshot wound to the head. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office pronounced the boy dead at the scene and ruled his death accidental.

After reviewing Pennsylvania State Police investigative reports, the DA’s office concluded the incident was “a tragic accident.”

“This mistake in judgment ultimately led to the child’s death but did not rise to the level of a criminal act based upon the nature and intent of the circumstances,” the DA’s office said in a news release. "Here, the father failed to perceive the risk present when he briefly placed the holstered firearm down with the intention of immediately returning to secure it in another room while the child was seemingly preoccupied with running around the camper."

According to the DA’s office, the boy’s father retrieved a phone charger from his truck to play music while setting up a tow-behind camper. The father also retrieved a holstered 9 mm firearm to store in the bedroom area of the camper, then entered the camper and plugged in the charger and phone.

Then, the office said, the father noticed the outside speakers weren’t playing, so to turn on the speakers, he placed the firearm on a collapsed dining room table, so he could push a button on the opposing wall, a few steps away. As the father bent down to push the button, he heard a “pop.”

The boy’s mother was cooking dinner and on her phone inside the camper at the time, the office said. She didn’t see what happened but said the father was in the camper. The boy was reported to be running around inside the camper.

The boy died from an accidental gunshot wound to his left eye, the office said. The firearm was found next to the boy outside of the holster. The firearm was legally owned, as was another firearm which was secured with the safety on in the bedroom area of the camper. No evidence of drugs or alcohol was found at the scene.

The DA’s office said the names of those involved aren’t being released because no criminal charges are being filed.

Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni declined to disclose the boy’s name , saying it was because the boy is a minor. The coroner is required by law to provide the name of the victim. LNP | LancasterOnline filed a Right-to-Know request to obtain the identification.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

What to Read Next

{{hammer}>

{{kicker}>

{{title}>{{subhead}>