Pastor charged weeks after 2-year-old son shot in head outside NC church, reports say

A pastor is charged weeks after his 2-year-old son was shot in the head outside a North Carolina church, news outlets reported.

Adam Vines, pastor at River Valley Baptist Church in Morganton, said the shooting happened after church services on Sunday, Oct. 15. The pastor’s other son found a gun in a van and accidentally shot his brother, Vines told WSOC and WCNC.

Now, Vines is accused of leaving the gun in a place where a child could access it. News reports didn’t list attorney information for Vines, who is charged with a misdemeanor weapons offense, online court records show.

“As far as the charge is concerned, all I can say is to God be the glory,” Vines told WSOC on Nov. 28. “It could have been worse but the Lord watched over us all.”

The day of the incident, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a child shot at the Morganton church. The child was taken by helicopter to a hospital in critical condition, deputies wrote in a news release.

“The next few days are still crucial,” Vines told The News Herald after the shooting. “But we know God has this all under control. Taking it one day at a time.”

As of Nov. 28, the pastor told WBTV that his 2-year-old son is “doing wonderful” and is grateful to be back home.

Around the same time, Vines was issued a criminal summons for “failure to store a firearm to protect minors.” He’s accused of leaving a gun “in a condition that the firearm could be discharged and the defendant knew or should have known that the minor would be able to gain access to the firearm,” leading to the shooting, according to court documents.

River Valley Baptist Church and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Nov. 29.

Morganton is roughly 75 miles northwest of Charlotte.

Dad, a police officer, accidentally shoots teen son in head, North Carolina cops say