'The gun didn't kill my son. I did': Distraught father

Stephen Brumby, 14, was shot dead by dad William C Brumby, 64, Sunday
Brumby Sr was hit by a spent casing that had rebounded into his shirt
Trying to remove it, he pointed the gun behind him and shot Stephen

Brumby said he was at fault, not the gun, and that 'freak accidents' happen

It 'could be with a gun, it could by e with the wrong medicine, it could be with any number of things,' he said


He also said he raised his kids to know their way around a weapon


'I wanted them to be comfortable around them,' he said


His 12-year-old daughter and 24-year-old son were also there at the time


The dad says the accident won't change his attitude towards firearms


The father who accidentally shot and killed his teenage son at a Florida firing range on Sunday has spoken out, saying that it was his 'operating error' that caused his son's death, not the gun itself.


William Clayton Brumby, 64, was shooting with son Stephen J Brumby, 14 at High Noon Guns in Sarasota when he accidentally fired backwards and fatally wounded his son.


'The gun didn't kill my boy. I did,' Brumby toldCNN Monday. 'Every round in the gun is your responsibility. When it fires you need to stand to account for it. That's what I've spent the last two days doing: accounting for my operating error.'




'The gun didn't kill my son. I did': Distraught father





Mr Brumby told the channel that he had taken his son and two of the youngster's six siblings - his 24-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister - to the range that day just as he did every other month.


The family has always trained their children to fire weapons from an 'appropriate age,' he said.


'We wanted our kids to be aware of guns,' he explained. 'I wanted them to be comfortable around them and understand them.'


Mr Brumby told the channel that he had taken his son and two of the youngster's six siblings - his 24-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister - to the range that day just as he did every other month.

The family has always trained their children to fire weapons from an 'appropriate age,' he said.

'We wanted our kids to be aware of guns,' he explained. 'I wanted them to be comfortable around them and understand them.'


But it was at one of these routine visits that disaster struck: A hot shell casing, newly ejected from a gun, bounced back into Brumby's shirt.

'Brumby then used his right hand, which was holding the handgun, in an attempt to remove the casing,' a police statement later said.

'While doing so, he inadvertently pointed the firearm directly behind him and accidentally fired.'

Stephen's siblings were there when he was shot.

Brumby doesn't deny the police account - in fact, he's come out publicly confirming it, in an apparent effort to minimize the blame that the firearm might take as a result of the incident.

'It was a very freak accident. I made a mistake,' he said.

'It doesn't take but a split second for something to go wrong and that could be (the case) with a gun, it could be with the wrong medicine, it could be with any number of things.'

And Brumby says that he doesn't intend to change his use of guns - he will continue to keep them in his home.

The investigation continues, but police confirmed Monday that there are no charges pending against the father.


But the grieving dad didn't just talk about his son's death - he also talked about his life, and his hobbies, which included not just shooting, but also bass fishing, tennis, and playing piano at church.

Stephen was also 'sweet' and a hard worker at home, he said, helping out with the family and acting as both caregiver and friend to his youngest sister, who has spina bifida.

His father also hoped that once he finished homeschooling with his mom, Stephen would go on to college like his older brothers - and if he had, Brumby said, he would have gone far.

'He had a heart that was bigger than he was,' Clayton Brumby said. 'He was always thinking outside the box.'

After Stephen's death, his mother uploaded a picture of the boy with the message: 'There are no words.'


The family have also set up aGoFundMe page in a bid to help the family with their expenses.

The description on the page read: 'Stephen Brumby, the fourth of seven children and the son of Clayton and Elizabeth Brumby died tragically July 3rd 2016.

'In his 14 years of life he was described as “a meteor that couldn’t be contained” by his family or anyone that knew him.

'He was passionate about his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and dedicated his life to sharing his hope with everyone he met.

'The families’ only comfort is knowing that He is communing with the heroes of his faith and rejoicing in paradise.

'Your generous gifts and donations will help with the expenses the family is now faced with.'

Sheriffs were on the scene after the shooting, collecting evidence.

Goichi Matsumato, who has used the range before, toldABC Action News: 'It's a nice location. It seems very safe. I wouldn't think something like that would happen at this location.'

According to itswebsite, High Noon Guns offers nine air-conditioned shooting lanes, and allows under-14s to shoot for free if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

And a post on the site's Facebook page three weeks ago showed a child with a small rifle and the message 'Properly trained kids don't have accidents'.

'At High Noon Guns, we are firm believers that safety comes first,' the image's caption read. 'And part of that is ensuring we teach our children gun safety.'



'Apparently there wasn't proper training going on today...' one user commented below the post.

But another replied: 'Properly trained people know ANYONE can have an accident....'

A 2013report by The Herald-Tribune described the shop's range as possibly being 'one of the safest indoor shooting ranges ever designed.'

According to the report, bullets are absorbed into 'granulated rubber material' downrange, backed by steel plating that is 'capable of defeating a 20mm cannon' - although it notes that only handguns and .22-caliber rifles were allowed.

Dividing panels between the shooters have wood-covered metal for protection and there are sound-dampening panels designed to absorb both noise and stray bullets.

The Brumby family's daughter, Jordan, suffers from Spina bifida. They have previously set upa GoFundMe for her medical and care expenses.