RACINE COUNTY — A Racine County Sheriff's deputy is facing criminal charges after his 3-year-old daughter accidentally shot a 40-year-old man and his 7-year-old son during a youth turkey hunt in April at Honey Creek Wildlife Area in the Town of Rochester.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday that 35-year-old Deputy James Lehman is on administrative leave following the off-duty shooting, which occurred April 12 during a youth turkey hunt.
Lehman is charged with 2 counts of second-degree reckless injury and 2 counts of injury by negligent use of a dangerous weapon.
According to the criminal complaint, Lehman was hunting turkeys with his 3-year-old daughter when he told investigators "he saw what he thought was a turkey head" and that he "had his three-year-old daughter pull the trigger" of a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun. The gunshots struck a 40-year-old man and his 7-year-old son, who were also turkey hunting in the area.
Court documents state the child victim underwent surgeries but still has pellets stuck in his spinal cord, skull, and brain.
Learn more about the incident in the video player below
The complaint states Lehman told investigators he "is not a very experienced turkey hunter" and that this was "one of his first times out hunting independently." He also said he "did not have a hunter safety certificate" because he was exempt due to previous military service.
Renee Thok, Hunter Education Administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said Lehman's military background qualified him for that exemption.
"He had completed a U.S. Armed Forces basic training. Reported that, obviously, to the DNR, and then you know we waive the hunter education certification that's necessary," Thok said.
Wisconsin allows people to hunt without completing a hunter education course as long as they are within arm's reach of a mentor who has graduated from the education program or who is exempt and who holds a valid hunting license. Thok said the age of Lehman's daughter was not the central issue in this case.
"I understand that people see the age and that probably sparks interest, but that doesn't really play into it as they were utilizing the hunter mentorship program," Thok said.
Thok said hunter education, first offered in Wisconsin in 1967, teaches principles that could help prevent shootings like this one.
"Be sure of your target - what's before and beyond. I would say that probably falls into this for sure," Thok said.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office said Monday it will conduct its own internal investigation to determine whether Lehman violated department policies, separate from the criminal investigation being led by the DNR.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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