Man faces charges after accidentally shooting boy

Jasper County Sheriff Ronnie McBride said that Michael James Beenan was arrested Feb. 1 for injury to a child in the accidental shooting of a four-year-old boy.

Beenan, the common law husband of Kimberly Casper, mother of the child, was cleaning his .25- caliber pistol at the kitchen table when it accidentally discharged. The family lived in the Gum Slough area near Evadale.

The bullet struck the boy in the abdomen. The injured child was transported by helicopter to Christus St. Elizabeth in Beaumont, where he underwent surgery for a ruptured spleen.

Beenan was being held on $10,000 bond on state felony charges that may result in up to two years in jail. Child Protective Services is also investigating the incident and the safety of other children in the home, according to McBride.

Public information officer Shari Pulliam confirmed that CPS considers this a very serious incident and they are taking all measures to protect the other children in the home.

"The child who was shot is still in the hospital, but he is doing well," according to Pulliam.

McBride said he would advise residents, "Please don't clean weapons in the house, and when outside, be concerned about children being in the vicinity."