RIVERTON, Utah — The stepfather of the 18-year-old man who was fatally shot in the head at the family's home in Riverton on Tuesday has been arrested on manslaughter charges.
Joseph Lee was arrested Wednesday, one day after police originally claimed that the shooting was accidental. Lee was also previously identified as the man's biological father.
The teen, who lived with his family at their Riverton home, was transported to Riverton Hospital after being shot in the head at around 3 p.m., but later died from his injuries. The man's mother was the one who called police about the shooting.
Police said Lee's experience in the military as a Green Beret and the circumstances of the shooting led them to arrest him for manslaughter.
During an interview with police, Lee said he was teaching his daughter how to use a firearm with two Glock 19x guns, one a live weapon and the other described as a "dummy gun." Both of the guns were nearly identical, according to police, and despite the name, "dummy gun" is fully operable.
Lee claimed that while teaching his daughter, he accidentally grabbed the live weapon, which was loaded with ammunition, racked the slide and pulled the trigger, hitting his stepson in the head.
Earlier Wednesday, Riverton Police Chief Shane Taylor said the department was "not saying [the shooting was] intentional or accidental at this time," and the investigation is still active. He added that they served a search warrant to look for the gun that was used.
Immediately following the shooting, police said Lee was cooperating with the investigation.
