PITTSBURGH-
A Pennsylvania legislator knew his gun was missing the night before a teenage neighbor was found shot to death next to it, but he and his family did not think to call police to report it missing, his attorney said Wednesday.
State Sen. Robert Regola issued a statement Tuesday saying that neither he nor his son had anything to do with the death of 14-year-old Louis Farrell. Farrell, who had cared for pets at the Regola home while the family was away, was found dead July 22 near his home with a gunshot wound to the head.
Police have not yet determined whether it was an accident, suicide or homicide.
Mark Rush, Regola’s attorney, said the senator’s 16-year-old son, Robert IV, returned home at about 10:30 p.m. on July 21 to find a downstairs door open, an overturned basket of clothes and other signs that someone may have been there. The younger Regola called his father, Rush said.
The senator’s brother came over to help the boy search the home. The son discovered that the gun was missing, as was an ammunition clip, Rush said. The senator guessed that his sister and her son had taken the gun for target practice at a hunting camp the family owns, but a call to the camp was unanswered, Rush said.
“Nobody thought to contact the police,” Rush said. “They thought (the hunting camp) was where the gun was. That was their first conclusion.”
Jon Perry, an attorney who represents Farrell’s parents, said he couldn’t verify the details provided by Rush. But he said he found it puzzling that the family did not notify authorities about the missing gun.
“They don’t call anybody. They don’t call the police. … It’s puzzling. It’s disappointing,” he said.
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