RIVERTON, Utah, June 18, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- A Riverton man has been booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of alleged manslaughter, classified as a second-degree felony, after the shooting death of his 18-year-old stepson.
Joseph Le Page Lee, 46, was booked into jail Wednesday, Riverton Police Chief Shane Taylor told Gephardt Daily.
The call of an accidental shooting came to dispatch at about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, and officers were dispatched to the 13000 block of South Kessler Peak Drive.
The caller, the 43-year-old wife of Lee and the mother of the shooting victim, "reported that it had been an accidental discharge from a firearm," Taylor said.
"On arrival at the residence, Riverton patrol officers found the victim to have sustained the gunshot wound to his head. Patrol officers stated that upon their arrival they witnessed Joseph performing CPR on the victim. The victim was transported by Unified Fire Authority to Riverton Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by medical personnel."
Taylor confirmed other family members had been in the room at the time of the shooting.
"There were younger children there, and even the wife of our arrested individual. And that's the 43-year-old individual that called 911, so there were a lot of interviews that had to take place," including forensic interviews for the juveniles.
Taylor said Lee had been handling the gun recklessly, "especially with his extensive background of being a Green Beret in the Army." That fact, along with other evidence, gave officers probable cause to investigate for manslaughter, Taylor said.
"Despite his training and experience, he handled his firearm in a reckless nature, which evidently caused the death of another," Taylor said of Lee.
An arrest document filed for Lee says that, post Miranda, Joseph gave investigators an explanation of what occurred.
"Joseph had said that he had two Glock 19x's with him in the living room of the residence. He told the investigators he had the firearms out as he was teaching his daughter how to use and operate the firearms.
"Joseph told investigators that he had been showing his daughter which of the two handguns (the firearms are nearly identical) was what he considered a dummy gun. Joseph stated that what he considered a dummy gun is the handgun they were going to use for training but is fully operable and can fire live ammunition."
Lee told officers he cleared the dummy gun, "ensuring it was safe, and placed to his right side.
"Joseph said that as he was teaching his daughter, he must have grabbed the non dummy gun which at the time was loaded with live ammunition. He racked the slide and pulled the trigger. The round evidently struck the victim in the head who was sitting on the couch directly across from Joseph."
A warranted search turned up video of the incident.
"The video showed Joseph sitting on the floor as he described. The victim had stood up from the couch which is positioned only a couple of feet in front of Joseph. The victim appears to be looking at handgun which was in Joseph's hand. As the victim goes to sit back down onto the couch, the top half of his body is bent slightly over his legs with the top of his head facing Joseph.
"Joseph is seen racking the slide, the firearm is near Joseph's stomach and legs when one round is fired from the handgun. The victim is seen dropping to the floor and is motionless. Joseph waited several minutes before performing CPR."
Taylor said there have been no reports of law enforcement issues involving the family prior to this incident.
Taylor said an earlier statement from someone representing the Riverton Police Department, which said the shooting appeared to be accidental, was the result of a miscommunication rather than a change in police viewpoint.
Gephardt Daily will have more information as the case develops.
