Britton Teenager Expelled After Shooting Incident

BRITTON, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota high school student accused in an apparently accidental shooting that injured a classmate has been expelled from classes.

Britton-Hecla Superintendent Kevin Coles tells the American News that the school board voted to expel 18-year-old Dusty Groom. A telephone listing for him could not immediately be found.

Authorities say Groom, of Lake City, was showing three boys what he thought was an unloaded .22-caliber handgun in a school parking lot on May 1 when the gun went off and a bullet hit 17-year-old Brody Heitmann in the head. Authorities say Heitmann suffered a flesh wound. He returned to classes a few days after the incident.

Groom faces misdemeanor charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm on school property and false reporting to authorities.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.