LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. — The teenage son of Alabama state Rep. Ernie Yarbrough was accidentally shot in the shoulder by his 6-year-old brother at the family’s home on Saturday, police said.
According to investigators with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, the boy came into possession of a .556 caliber rifle and fired it, WHNT reported. The bullet struck his 13-year-old sibling in the shoulder, AL.com reported.
Both boys are Yarbrough’s sons.
The incident occurred at the family’s residence in the Trinity community at about 5:30 p.m. ET, according to the Times-Daily of Florence.
Yarbrough said that the teen’s injury was a “flesh wound” and was not considered to be life-threatening, the Alabama Daily News reported.
“Thanks be to God, all is well,” Yarbrough wrote in a text to the news outlet. “A flesh wound only. He has been playing basketball with me tonight.”
According to AL.com, the sheriff’s office notified the Alabama Department of Human Resources, a requirement when children are involved in a shooting. The investigation will be turned over to the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office.
Yarbrough was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
