OZARK COUNTY, Mo. – A Tecumseh man was arrested on August 30 after Ozark County deputies responded to a shooting at a home in Tecumseh.

Samuel Deatherage Jr. is charged with 1st-degree harassment, 1st-degree assault, three counts of 1st-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful use of a weapon.

According to the probable cause statement, Deatherage was arrested after deputies responded to a home where one person had been shot in the forehead. Six others had run into the backyard to hide.

Deatherage spontaneously told deputies that he had accidentally shot his sister in the head when he tripped and fell on the ground while carrying a gun to his parents.

The female who was shot was “alert and conscious,” according to the probable cause statement, and deputies were able to interview three of the seven victims.

The victims told deputies that Deatherage had been shouting angrily and yelling threats before grabbing a gun. The victim who was shot had hidden behind a truck that was parked in the yard and was shot when a bullet passed through the rear and front window of the truck.

Three of the victims were under the age of 18.

The victims and suspect told deputies that Deatherage was heavily intoxicated during the shooting. Deatherage was given a breathalyzer test and it showed that he had a blood alcohol content of 0.193%.

He told deputies at the scene that he had drank an entire 750ml bottle of 40% tequila by himself, according to the probable cause statement.

Deatherage is in custody at the Ozark County Jail awaiting a bond reduction hearing on September 6 at 10:30 a.m.