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Priest Points Gun At Boy, 8: Priest Kevin Carter Speaks Out, Confident That He’ll Be ‘Vindicated’

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 13:12 PST, Oct 5, 2015

A priest pointed a gun at an 8-year-old boy for being a Dallas Cowboys fan instead of a New York Giants fan. The incident happened in a Little Ferry, New Jersey church.

Rev. Kevin Carter, the pastor of St. Margaret of Cortona Church, was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child after he pointed a gun at one of the young parishioners. The Newark Archdiocese informed Bergen County Prosecutor, John Molinelli, on September 28 that a boy at the church contacted the him about the event, which happened on September 13.

The boy’s identity isn’t being released.

It was when the boy’s family attended church for Sunday services when the priest pointed the gun at him after they went into another room, Molinelli said. He explains that prior the beginning of mass, Father Kevin Carter asked to see the child in one of the rectory rooms. Carter supposedly then had the boy stand against a wall and made him think that he was going to shoot him. The reverend retrieved the long gun from a nearby location. The weapon is actually being described as a musket, NBC New York reports.

As Molinelli said in his statement, several witnesses were standing outside the room when the priest pointed the gun at the child.

“As he raised his weapon and pointed it at the boy, he said, ‘I’m going to shoot you,'” Molinelli told police.

There was enough of a concern over this being worthy of assault charges, but Carter insists that pointing the gun at the boy was in innocent “jesting.” As Molinelli said, there’s “no joking around” with a gun when it comes to an 8-year-old child.

Carter issued a statement to Fox News. The priest that pointed the gun at the child says he’s not as concerned about himself as he is the boy and his family.

“My concern, at this time, is more for the young boy and his family than it is for myself. I am confident that I will be vindicated and that my reputation will not be harmed among the people who know me. I will be OK.”

“I am concerned about the young parishioner. I know he and his family came to the rectory on Sept. 13, to have good-natured fun about the football game scheduled later that day. I also know that nothing that day put him in fear.”

“I am concerned that these charges and their attendant publicity has potential for trauma for the child and his family. I am also concerned about the parishioner who misinterpreted the event of Sept. 13. As her pastor, I do not want her to suffer any harm, and I ask all members of the parish to be loving to her and to share my concern for her.”

After a search of the rectory, authorities stumbled upon the weapon that was allegedly used when the priest pointed the gun at the boy. It was a “functioning” Civil War-style musket. There was also gunpowder, ammunition, and other items connected to the gun that were found, according to authorities. Carter was freed on $15,000 bail, but his attorney — Harold Cassidy — said that he won’t plead guilty. The priest is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Reverend Kevin Carter was ordained in Newark in November 1986 and has worked at various Roman Catholic churches across the Archdiocese, the prosecutor’s office confirmed. He’s been at St. Margaret of Cortona since February 2013.

What do you think of a priest who points a gun at a child, even if it’s only “jesting”?

[Photo Credit: Twitter]

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