FIRESTONE – A 5-year-old boy was shot in the left leg by his stepfather on Saturday night, but the man told police he was trying to teach the child how to fire a gun.
The boy was recovering from his wound on Sunday after surgery at Children’s Hospital in Denver. Police expect the child to survive.
Nolberto Ojeda, 29, was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse, reckless endangerment, second-degree assault and felony possession of a firearm.
Ojeda admitted shooting his stepson, Firestone police Chief David Montgomery told 9News. Investigators are trying to determine if the shooting was accidental.
Just after 10 p.m. Saturday, Ojeda fired several shots into an alley behind his home. One of those bullets hit the boy. Ojeda was drinking alcohol before the shooting happened, police said.
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Ojeda was arrested in February 1999 on suspicion of third-degree assault and cruelty toward a child causing bodily injury.
He pleaded guilty in that case to misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault, harassment and child abuse with injury, according to Colorado court records.
Ojeda was fined and placed and probation for two years.
