A Hamlet man was booked into the Marshall County Jail on Sunday after an accidental shooting incident in Marshall County at the end of January.
According to court documents, David J. Paulson, 35, and a four-year-old child were in a vehicle traveling west on U.S. 30 and Beech Road in Bourbon on Jan. 31 when the child allegedly picked up a loaded .40 caliber handgun from a pocket Paulson’s coveralls in the backseat of the vehicle. The handgun discharged and Paulson suffered a wound to the back of his right upper arm.
Paulson reportedly lied to police saying that the gun discharged when he reached for his wallet in his coveralls in the backseat while operating his vehicle. He allegedly stated that it was then when the gun fired. When the responding officer examined the coveralls, he did not find a bullet hole, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Upon further investigation, the Marshall County officer determined that the only way the bullet could have traveled in the trajectory it did was if it was fired by the person in the back seat of the vehicle. The child was reportedly not seated in a booster or child restraint seat, so stated in the court document.
A warrant was subsequently issued for Paulson’s arrest.
Paulson, 35, was booked Sunday afternoon on charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury as a Level 5 felony, neglect of a dependent and criminal recklessness66 as Level 6 felonies, and a Class B misdemeanor charge of false informing.
Shortly after Paulson was placed into custody, he bonded out of jail after posting a $750 cash bond.
