Wisconsin Deputy Charged After Daughter's Trigger Pull Injures Colleague and Child

A Wisconsin sheriff’s deputy has been charged with reckless injury and negligent use of a weapon after an incident during a youth turkey hunt in Burlington, where his 3-year-old daughter accidentally shot him and his colleague's son. The shooting occurred on April 12 at the Honey Creek Wildlife Area when James Lehman, a Racine County Sheriff’s Office deputy, brought his young daughter along for the hunting trip.

According to court documents obtained by WITI, Lehman allegedly mistook what he thought was a turkey head and allowed his daughter to pull the trigger of his semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun. This resulted in injuries to a 40-year-old colleague and the colleague's 7-year-old son. The victims were struck with pellets from the weapon, causing significant harm.

The adult victim sustained injuries to his back, lower torso, and left arm, while the child suffered more severe injuries to his head and spinal cord. Medical intervention for the young boy has been ongoing; he underwent surgery in June but doctors could not remove all of the embedded pellets due to their location within sensitive areas of the body.

Lehman admitted during questioning that he was relatively inexperienced as a turkey hunter, having only recently begun hunting independently. He did not possess a hunter safety certificate, though his military training exempted him from this requirement under Wisconsin law. The state permits individuals without formal hunter education to hunt if they are within arm's reach of someone who has completed the course or holds a valid license.

The shooting raised concerns about safety protocols and oversight in hunting activities involving minors. Both victims were taken to the hospital immediately after the incident, with the adult being discharged that night while his son remained hospitalized due to the severity of his injuries. The case was handed over from Racine County to Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld for further investigation due to potential conflicts of interest within Racine County law enforcement.

Racine County Sheriff's Office has initiated its own internal review into the incident, and Lehman remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of legal proceedings. He is scheduled to appear in court on September 10. The case highlights broader questions about gun safety and supervision during hunting activities involving children, particularly when conducted by law enforcement personnel.

This tragic event underscores the critical importance of stringent safety measures and proper training for both hunters and those accompanying them, especially in high-risk scenarios like turkey hunts where quick decisions can have devastating consequences.