California Father Accidentally Shoots 5-Year-Old Son While Cleaning Rifle

Officials said the injury was a grazing wound and the boy is expected to make a full recovery.

Published: 3/31/2026, 11:53:27 PM EDT

California Father Accidentally Shoots 5-Year-Old Son While Cleaning Rifle — Police tape in a file photo. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A 5-year-old boy in Northern California is recovering after he was accidentally struck by a bullet over the weekend while his father was cleaning firearms, authorities said.

Officers responded to the 1700 block of Hemlock Court in Oakley—roughly 50 miles east of San Francisco—just before 9:30 p.m. on Sunday after receiving a report that a man had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his guns, the Oakley Police Department (OPD) said in a press release.

However, while officers were on the way to the residence, dispatch updated the call to indicate the victim was a child and that he had been shot in the chest.

"When our officers arrived, the father of the child was holding him and applying pressure to the wound," officials said. "The child was transported to the hospital via helicopter and after surgery, is expected to make a full recovery."

Local media at the scene captured footage of the boy being transferred from an ambulance to the helicopter. Officers could also be seen putting up yellow crime scene tape in front of the home, while other officials were busy examining the garage for evidence.

OPD said the boy's father was cooperative, telling detectives that he had retrieved an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle he thought was unloaded from a gun case to clean it but accidentally pulled the trigger, striking his son in the torso at close range.

All Firearms Removed From Property

Detectives subsequently obtained a search warrant and removed all firearms and other pieces of evidence from the home. Officials said they do not believe the shooting was intentional, and the incident remains under investigation. Once complete, the case will be sent to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office to determine if any criminal charges will be filed.

Police Chief Paul Beard said in a statement that the 5-year-old boy's injury was superficial, noting that it was a grazing wound rather than a penetrating one.

"Even a graze however, from a rifle-fired bullet can cause devastating injuries. We are very thankful the injuries sustained by the boy are not worse than they are; an inch of difference of where the bullet struck the boy would have been a different, and more tragic, outcome," Beard said.

"Even though we believe this to be an awful accident, some crucial errors of negligence were made. Firearms should always be treated as if they are loaded and one should never put a finger on the trigger of a firearm unless there is an intent to shoot it."