Man charged with neglect, reckless homicide in child's shooting death at mobile home in Michigan City, Ind.

September 16, 2013 ( MICHIGAN CITY, Ind.) (WLS) -- Zachariah L. Grisham, 24, is charged with neglect and reckless homicide in the shooting death of 3-year-old Lance Wilson at Terrace Acres Mobile Home Park in Michigan City, Ind.

Grisham appeared in La Porte County court on Monday, September 16. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.

The child was fatally shot on Sunday, September 15 inside his home on Farmington Drive in the mobile home park. Officials say Grisham, who is the live-in boyfriend of Wilson's mother, was playing a game using guns with the toddler.

"It was a game where one would point a fake gun and then the suspect had taken the real gun and pulled the trigger, and it was loaded," Det. Sgt. Andy Hynek, La Porte County Sheriff's Department, said.

"As an adult, you should know better than to play a game with a 3-year-old with a gun. You never know what could happen. And in this case, it went off and a little boy had to die," Kim Vansickle, neighbor, said.

Officials said Grisham and the boy's mother provided an account of the shooting.

"When you pull the trigger at the wrong time, wrong situation, you can't bring somebody back. The biggest thing is education," Det. Hynek said.

"Everybody's very devastated, but like I said we didn't know him. But still hearing the fact of a child getting shot, it's just devastating for us all," Chris Scholze, neighbor, said.

"Have a weapon, but use common sense with it. I'm not against weapons -- but common sense," Scholze said.

"It's sad. He was 3-years old. He was young and didn't get to live his life," Michael Ferell, neighbor, said.

Neighbors said the family had recently moved into the home and that the 3-year-old boy has an older brother.

The LaPorte County Sheriff's Department is investigating.

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