A 52-year-old Wisconsin man has been charged in the fatal shooting of his 9-year-old stepson, police announced this week.
Michael Meagher was shot Monday in the Town of Geneva, southwest of Milwaukee. Two officers discovered the boy shortly before 2:30 a.m. and began life-saving efforts. Emergency responders rushed the boy to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.
When police arrived the boy’s stepfather, Steven Merkel Jr., told them: “I did something stupid,” according to the complaint against him that was obtained by local media. Merkel “seemed frantic and was covered in blood.,” the complaint reportedly added.
Merkel has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide.
“It was a hard scene,” Town of Geneva Police Chief Anthony Miceli told WISN of the shooting.
“It’s a hard scene for any officer, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, or even if you’ve never been there before,” he added. “It’s probably the hardest scene for a police officer to experience in his lifetime.”
According to the criminal complaint, Merkel told detectives he was showing Michael his 9mm handgun because it made him look “cool” and did not believe the gun would fire after removing its magazine.
Investigators said Merkel told them he pointed the gun at Michael and pulled the trigger. The stepdad told detectives he expected the gun to “click and instead it went ‘boom,’” the complaint stated.
A GoFundMe site has been launched to help raise money for Michael’s family. The site states that Michael died from “a very traumatic accident of a gunshot.”
The person who launched the page said her son was best friends with Michael, who was a second-grader at Brooke Park Elementary School in La Grange Park, Illinois
“Our family is heartbroken. I want to try to help this family in any way that I can,” Katherine Koskinas wrote. Michael was “a bright funny boy! My son loved his friend,” she added.
Michael leaves behind two sisters, Marissa and Madeline, the page states. The funds raised — $18.000 out of a $22,000 goal as of Thursday — will help pay for funeral arrangements.
Merkel has been booked into the Walworth County Jail.
