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Sheriff: Sampson County boy, 10, accidentally shot himself; stepfather charged

A 10-year-old boy in Sampson County who was airlifted to a regional trauma center on Thursday with a gunshot wound to the face accidentally shot himself, according to the Sampson County Sheriff's Office.

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HARRELLS, N.C. — A 10-year-old boy in Sampson County who was airlifted to a regional trauma center on Thursday night with a gunshot wound to the face accidentally shot himself, according to the Sampson County Sheriff's Office.

Emergency responders were dispatched to 60 Maddie Lane in Harrells around 7 p.m. Thursday. Before emergency personal reached the scene, though, a relative put the child in a vehicle and headed toward Clinton in an attempt to get to the hospital.

Jeffrey Lee Newton Jr.

A responding deputy intercepted the car carrying the child and started attempting first aid, until Sampson County EMS arrived on the scene.

The boy was taken to an emergency landing zone, where the child was airlifted to a regional trauma center.

Deputies were initially told that the child and his father were walking down Belvin-Maynard Road. The father heard a gunshot and saw his son fall. But officials said Friday that the boy accidentally shot himself.

The sheriff's office said the boy's stepfather, Jeffrey Lee Newton Jr., 31, of Harrells, allowed the child to have the gun. Newton was charged with permitting a child to have access/use of a firearm and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. He was jailed under a $5,000 bond.

The child was listed in stable condition at the hospital.

Sheriff Jimmy Thorton said there were three or four more children present at the time.

Officials have not recovered the weapon.

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