Honk News (Madison, WI) – A Wisconsin man, trying to impress his 8-year-old stepson by displaying his firearms, tragically shot and killed the child. He later admitted to police that he had “done something stupid.”
Steven Merkel, 52, from Lake Geneva, faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide related to the death of his stepson, Michael Meagher, at a home on Lincoln Drive on Monday, as reported by the Town of Geneva Police Department and the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office. Officials report that the DA’s office examined the early morning shooting, leading to charges being filed later on Monday after the incident was initially reported at approximately 2:25 a.m.
“Upon arrival, Town of Geneva police officers and fire personnel located a young male that had been shot and began life-saving measures,” a press release says. “The young male was transported to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.”
Upon arrival, officers found Merkel in a state of distress, appearing frantic and covered in blood, as detailed in the criminal complaint.
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He reportedly informed the authorities that “he did something foolish, and it wasn’t (Meagher’s) fault” that he was shot. According to the complaint, when authorities inquired about Merkel’s actions of displaying the firearms to Meagher, he responded, “because it made the defendant look cool.”
According to police, Merkel stated that he removed the magazine from the 9 mm handgun involved in Meagher’s death and believed it would not discharge without it.
“He walked out of the bedroom and pointed the gun at (Meagher),” the complaint says, per WITI. “The defendant stated that the defendant pulled the trigger and was expecting it to click, but instead it went ‘boom,’ shooting (Meagher).”
Merkel confessed to the authorities that he had previously brandished his handgun in front of Meagher, even directing it toward him while instructing him to pay attention, according to the complaint. It is claimed that he consumed “two small drinks of rum and RC that evening” prior to the incident.
Merkel is currently under a cash bond of $250,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, following a delay from his original appearance set for Thursday.