He told cops his stepson was accidentally shot. They said he gave him the gun.

A 10-year-old boy accidentally shot himself Thursday evening with a gun his stepdad gave him, according to multiple media reports.

Jeffrey Lee Newton Jr., 31, initially told deputies he and his step-son were walking down a road Thursday, when the child fell after getting shot, according to multiple reports. Officials later determined Newton, of Harrells, gave the child the gun and that the wound was self-inflicted, the Sampson Independent reported.

Newton took the child back home, where a relative tried to take him to a hospital. A deputy stopped the relative’s car and the child was later airlifted to a hospital, the Fayetteville Observer reported. He was in stable condition Friday morning, according to reports.

Newton was arrested and charged with permitting a child to use a firearm and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, according the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 1:23 PM with the headline "He told cops his stepson was accidentally shot. They said he gave him the gun.."