On Your Side

Nampa man accidentally shoots his brother, gun experts weigh in

CREATED Jul. 15, 2012

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  • Jennifer Auh reports on how a man accidentally shot his brother in Nampa. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com

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A Nampa homeowner and his 21-year-old roommate were sleeping Saturday morning, when the roommate heard what he thought was an intruder.

He fatally shot a man in the chest, and that man turned out to be his older brother, who was just 28 years old.

It's a situation no one wants to imagine, and in order to make Idaho a better place to live, we're finding out what steps you need to take to protect yourself from making a fatal mistake.

LeRoy Graham, who’s a retired Boise police sergeant, is now a gun safety instructor. He said if the shooter could not see the possible intruder, the best thing he could have done before using his gun was call or yell out.

“Verbalize, stop go away! Maybe if he said ‘stop, go away,’ the person would have said ‘hey, it’s me it's Bob or it's George," said Graham.

He said no matter what the intention, the shooter is responsible for his actions, and he gave us some valuable safety tips.

-    Treat every gun, as if it’s loaded
-    Keep a flashlight next to your concealed weapon   
-    Keep your weapon locked in a secure location

Graham suggests gun owners should get extra training on safety procedures. "Documenting that training, so should something happen, they can present that in court saying, this is what I've done to ensure I'm a responsible gun owner," he said.

He said the training could be useful for everyone who owns a gun, it could even save a life.   
   
As for the investigation on the recent shooting, no names have been released. So far, police have not charged the shooter.

If you would like to take a concealed weapons safety class, here is a link with more information: adacwl.com/home