Teen accused of shooting his stepfather

WELLSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) - A southern tier man is in stable condition at ECMC Tuesday night after getting shot in his own home by his 16-year-old stepson.

Sixty-year-old Robert Garrison was shot twice in the chest inside his home along County Route 30 in the Town of Wellsville around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. State Police say his 16-year-old stepson is now in custody.

Capt. Steve Nigrelli said, "State Police received a 911 call about shots fired and it's rare that you get a shots fired call like that in Allegany County. So you can imagine that police officers responded quickly to the scene."

What they found was Garrison on the floor, shot twice at a very close range with his own .40 caliber handgun. Garrison had to be airlifted to ECMC for treatment, but incredibly he is listed in stable condition at the hospital.

"When you think about all the factors, it's a .40 caliber, which is a very large caliber gun, shot at a very close range," noted Capt. Nigrelli. "The fact that this gentleman is still alive truly is a miracle."

Tuesday evening, News 4 spoke off camera to family members of the 16-year-old. They say they have no idea why this happened and were very surprised to hear about the shooting. Neighbors across the street from the Garrisons also didn't want to speak on camera, but said the Garrison family was always quiet. Neighbors also said in almost 30 years living across the street, they hardly spoke to the Garrisons.

The investigation is focusing on what exactly happened between the two and whether anything in the past led to the shooting.

Capt. Nigrelli said, "We're trying to determine what the relationship was, was anything there to precipitate this or was this truly a random act? And at this time, it appears to be a random act. I can say emphatically say at this time that it was not an accident."

Even though the young suspect is only 16, police say he is old enough to stand trial as an adult.