MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A man who accidentally shot his great niece in the head last year was sentenced to two years probation during a hearing Thursday in Monongalia County Magistrate Court.
Michael Nichols, who pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor charge, was also sentenced to perform 120 hours of community service and pay restitution in the amount of $4,600.
Chloey Neely, who was 8 at the time, was in a separate room from Nichols on July 20, 2018, when the gun went off while Nichols was showing it to his niece, Chloey’s mom. Nichols told the Dominion Post he was giving the gun to Chloey’s mom for protection. The shot went through a wall and struck Chloey behind the right ear. She was able to return to school in the fall of 2018.
Nichols was originally charged with the misdemeanor crime of being a person prohibited from possessing firearms.