Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Stepson Arrested Following Fatal Shooting of His 13-Year-Old Son: ‘Preventable Tragedy’

Dog the Bounty Hunter‘s stepson has been arrested for the fatal shooting of his own 13-year-old son.

Gregory Zecca, 39, the son of the reality star’s wife Francie Frane, is now facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence in connection with his son Anthony’s untimely death, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday, February 3.

Zecca had allegedly been drinking and using marijuana for several hours when he began handling a gun in his teenage son’s presence during a night watching a UFC fight last July, according to a Facebook post by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say the gun was initially unloaded, but at some point a magazine was reinserted, a round was chambered, and the weapon discharged.

“This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk announced in the post, praising his detectives for conducting “an exhaustive and thorough investigation”.

The Sheriff added: “I commend their hard work and professionalism in uncovering the facts in an incredibly difficult case.”

As the Enquirer previously reported, Dog the Bounty Hunter — real name: Duane Chapman — and his wife were left heartbroken after the accidental death of their teenage grandson.

According to a warrant obtained by TMZ, Gregory ‘repeatedly handled a firearm in the child’s presence, practicing drawing it from his waistband and dry-firing’ before the tragedy happened.

Once known for appearing alongside Dog in bounty hunting circles, Zecca now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, if he is found guilty.

Chapman, 72, and Frane married in 2021, less than two years after his late wife Beth Chapman passed away at 51.