Duane “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman and his wife Francie have been left devastated after their 13 year-old grandson was shot dead by his own father.
Dog’s Grandson Dead At 13
Anthony Zecca, 13, was accidentally shot by his father Gregory, 38, at their family apartment in Naples, Florida on Saturday. Police told TMZ that they “responded to a call about the shooting around 8 p.m. ET.” They added that they are now “conducting a thorough investigation looking into all the elements” of the shooting.
“The investigation includes statements from witnesses who were at the scene, forensic testing, subpoenas and search warrants,” police told People Magazine.
Officials have stressed that this was a freak accident that was an “‘isolated incident.” They’ve also confirmed that no arrests have been made at this time.
Dog, 72, and his wife Francie Chapman addressed this tragedy in a brief statement.
“We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible, tragic accident and would ask for continued prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony,” they said.
Gregory is Francie’s son from a previous marriage. He is reportedly very close to Dog, even working with him on his bounty hunting team.
Gregory is known to be a gun enthusiast. Back in 2021, he took to social media to share photos of himself and Anthony “getting some range time in” with their rifles.
Related: Dog The Bounty Hunter’s Daughter’s House Burns Down – Six Pets Killed
Anthony’s Experience With ‘The Holy Spirit’
Last year, Anthony spent the summer with Dog and Francie. During that time, the boy opened up about feeling the wind of the Holy Spirit while visiting his “Meemaw” in the hospital ER after she injured her ankle. Anthony was sitting in the waiting room with Dog when he suddenly felt cold wind blowing in from outside. This struck him as odd, since it was a warm and rainy day.
“When we’re walking to her room I feel the wind again but from a different direction. When it first came, it hit me [on my chest]. But when it came again, it hit me from the back,” Anthony recounted in a video posted to Francie’s Instagram page.
“And I’m wondering what is this? Because the doors didn’t open this time, so why am I getting hit by wind? [It was] the Holy Spirit,” he continued. “And I asked Meemaw and she said, ‘It was the Holy Spirit.'”
Anthony went on to say that though Francie had been miserable, “after X-rays and after we prayed, we go back into the room and she’s just fine. She said, ‘This don’t even hurt anymore.’ And it turned out to not be broken.”
Dog And Francie Bonded Over Grief
Francie is Dog’s sixth wife. They began dating in 2020, one year after Dog’s wife Beth died of stage II throat cancer. They bonded over their shared grief of losing spouses, as Francie had lost her husband Bob Frane in 2018.
“We understood the pain that the other one was feeling, and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up,” Francie told Entertainment Tonight in 2020.
“[Dog and I] could cry with each other and talk about what we were feeling,” she added. “We were able to walk alongside each other through the pain and heartbreak, and it brought us together in this amazing way.”
Related: Dog The Bounty Hunter Looks To The Bible For Reassurance To Marry Fiancé
This is clearly a very difficult time for Dog, Francie, and their entire family. Please join us in saying a prayer for them.
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