Charleston, W.VA.–Gary Wayne Garretson had a little game he liked to play with his 3-year-old son. It went something like this: Gary would point an unloaded 12-gauge shotgun at the toddler and say, ‘I’m gonna get you!’ His son Anthony would say, ‘You can’t get me Daddy!’ Gary would point the gun and pull the trigger. Sounds like tons of fun, doesn’t it? They had played that game in the past and everyone lived through it. Not this time.
Saturday afternoon, the game was on again. This time, the gun was loaded. This time, Anthony Garretson was shot..in the face. Wow Daddy! You really got him this time! No more fun little shotgun games for Anthony, he’s dead. He’s dead because his father lacks the common sense to know that pointing a gun at anyone, loaded or unloaded, is a bad idea. Pointing a gun at your child’s face, pulling the trigger, and making a game of it is not only a bad idea, it borders on fucking insane! WTF ever happened to peek-a-boo?
There are those of you that will wonder where Anthony’s mother was. She’s dead. Hopefully her death has nothing to do with being a participant in the shotgun game. Police state that she died in another state and that it was unrelated to this case. I guess it’s safe to assume that Gary is a widowed single father. Gary and Anthony were alone when this happened. Gary told police he didn’t know the gun was loaded.
Gary Garretson was arrested and charged with child abuse resulting in death. He is being held in Southern Regional Jail on a $500,000 bond.
UnamusedCat is discussing this one in the forums. Thanks UC.
Tags: Charleston, child abuse resulting in death, West Virginia
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