Matthew Kordich was watching cartoons in the living room of his grandfather's home in Newell, shortly before 10 a.m. July 23.

When the show ended, the 8-year-old went into the kitchen to give the remote control to his grandfather, Elmer Gola.

Three minutes after the two left the kitchen, a rifle slug crashed through the home, crossing the spot where the two had been standing.

Jeremy Staley, 28, of 105 Miller St., Newell - Gola's neighbor - accidentally fired the shot and now faces charges, according to police.

Staley was charged Monday at the Belle Vernon office of District Judge Jesse Cramer.

Southwest Regional Police Chief John Hartman said he is awaiting an arrest warrant from Cramer. Staley is expected to turn himself in to Cramer's office.

The warrant is being issued because one of the criminal charges -- discharging a firearm into an occupied structure -- is a felony.

Staley also faces two counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of criminal mischief.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Staley and a friend, Daniel Benner, were in the kitchen of Staley's home. The men's wives and three small children were behind them in the room.

Jeremy Staley and Benner had planned to go hunting, but never did.

Instead, they drank a few beers in the house throughout the afternoon and evening, police allege. Hartman said there was no indication either was intoxicated.

According to the affidavit, Staley was showing his new Remington 30-06 Model 700 rifle to Benner.

Hartman said Staley was unfamiliar with the weapon, which has an internal magazine. Staley thought the rifle was empty, but when he pulled the bolt back, he moved a live round into the chamber and, with his finger on the trigger, accidentally fired it, Hartman added.

The bullet traveled through the wall of Staley's house and entered Gola's residence near the bottom of a stairwell, passed through a handrail and hit the kitchen table, a wall and the kitchen floor. It continued into a wooden baseboard below the kitchen sink, where it finally stopped, according to the affidavit.

"He was clearly not familiar with the weapon, because he thought the weapon was clear, and it was not," Hartman said. "There was no indication he was intoxicated. But if you are drinking and have a weapon you're not familiar with, you should not be displaying it."

Hartman said the rifle is a powerful weapon that can used to hunt bear or elk.

"We felt because of the nature of the incident, he should be charged," Hartman said of Staley. "Thank God the boy in the neighbor's home wasn't where he was three to four minutes before, or we would have wound up with a serious, serious incident.

"When you're handling a weapon like that, you have to be responsible with it and should be familiar with the handling of it. Even a basic shooter must know the range of that weapon, where the target is and what's beyond the weapon."

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