8-year-old boy was fatally shot in the neck by 1 of 34 'easily accessible' guns in a family's home: Prosecutors

The parents of a Minnesota boy who was fatally shot with an unsecured gun in the family's home have been charged with a gross misdemeanor.

Theodore Stewart, 42, and Danielle Stewart, 39, were both charged with negligent storage of firearms in connection with the shooting death of their youngest son, 8-year-old McGregor Stewart. According to a probable cause statement obtained by the Wadena Pioneer Journal, McGregor was shot and killed on Sept. 4 after one of his older brothers placed a loaded .22 rifle on a bed and the weapon fired, hitting McGregor in the neck. The older brother told police that he did not load any bullets into the rifle, but did not check to see if the rifle was already loaded.

Police said that the rifle was one of 34 firearms found in the home, only one of which was secured.

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The Minnesota Star Tribune's reporting on the court documents revealed that police found 14 firearms in the Stewarts' bedroom, "many of which were loaded." In a closet near the bedroom were 13 more firearms and seven more were found in a closet by the front door, a total of 34 firearms in the home. Police stated, "All but one [firearm] was unsecured and in areas of the home easily accessible to the children."

According to police, Theodore Stewart was not at home at the time of the shooting, having left for work. Danielle Stewart was reportedly walking outside the home. She accompanied McGregor to the hospital after he was shot. McGregor died at the hospital.

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The Stewarts have four surviving children, ages 10 to 14 years old. After the shooting, they were placed in protective custody, an order that was rescinded a month later.

Theodore and Danielle Stewart were charged on Sept. 30 via summons and were not arrested. They are both scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 3.