Police have arrested a Meriden father accused of accidentally shooting his 17-year-old son in the chest earlier this month.
Justin Mergel turned himself in Friday, according to police.
Police say Mergel was unsafely handling a gun while showing it to his son when the gun went off inside their Forest Avenue home on August 12.
The teen was struck in the chest and was flown by LifeStar to the hospital to be treated. The teen survived and is still recovering, according to police.
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At the time of the shooting, police said the teen was preparing to start firearm training at a local gun range and that Mergel was showing him the gun ahead of that training.
Mergel has cooperated with investigators, police said.
He is charged with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He was held on $75,000 bond.
