Texas official sentenced to probation for accidentally shooting grandson at Nebraska wedding

LINCOLN, Nebraska — A Texas county commissioner has been given a year of probation after accidentally shooting his grandson at a wedding he was officiating in Nebraska.

Michael Gardner, 63, of Odessa, Texas, was convicted Monday of child abuse in the September 2023 shooting. His grandson, then 12, survived the shoulder wound.

“It’s something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life,” said Gardner, who was recently re-elected as county commissioner in Ector County, Texas.

The shooting occurred when Gardner pulled out a revolver, intending to fire a blank into the air to signal the start of an outdoor ceremony near the small southeastern Nebraska town of Denton. But as he cocked the gun, it went off, striking the now 13-year-old boy.

The wound was about 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide and reached deep into the boy’s muscles, causing significant tissue and muscle loss, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. reported.

Gardner was officiating at his cousin’s wedding at an outdoor location about 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Lincoln. Gardner said he made the blank himself, using an empty shell casing, some black powder and hot glue to hold it together.

Gardner was initially charged with second-degree assault, but in July he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.

Lancaster County Deputy District Attorney Eric Miller said he was shocked to see someone bring a gun into such a crowd.

“I understand this isn’t a supermarket shooting or anything like that,” he said. “But what he did was reckless.”