37-year-old Dennis Vanportfliet, of Aitkin, Minnesota was handling his .40 caliber Sig Sauer pistol when he unintentionally discharged the gun.
The bullet hit his 14-year-old son, Dawson, in the neck. Dawson was airlifted to a medical center in Hennepin where he died of his wounds.
Dawson was in the 8th grade, was active in the Boy Scouts and involved in martial arts.
A community member who works with Vanportfliet at a local restaurant told the press, "I'm worried about Dawson's little sister. It's going to be tough for his parents for a very long time."
A fund has been set up to help the family, who has no health insurance, pay for the hospital bills.