‘To say it was a tragedy is an understatement’: Man accused of fatally shooting teen daughter blamed stepson with autism, police say

Kenneth Paul Farler III (Montgomery County Jail — Ohio)

An Ohio man accused of fatally shooting his 15-year-old daughter allegedly called 911 and pointed the finger at his stepson, who has autism, but police say the story did not add up.

Kenneth Paul Farler III, 38, is being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail on charges of involuntary manslaughter, a weapons violation, a probation violation, and child endangering, online jail booking records show.

The shooting happened on Sunday in the 400 block of Bowen Street, Dayton CBS affiliate WHIO reported.

In a 911 call obtained by the outlet, Farler allegedly told a dispatcher his stepson accidentally fired the gun.

“My stepson, he’s autistic, he had no, it was an accident ma’am,” the station reported he allegedly said on the call. “He’s autistic. He had no (expletive) idea what he was doing.”

Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns told the Dayton Daily News that after further investigation and interviews, the claims made by Farler on the initial 911 call were determined to be false.

“The young lady was shot and killed by her father inside the Bowen Street address,” Johns told the outlet. “To say it was a tragedy is an understatement.”

Johns made it clear that investigators believe the shooting was intentional.

“I would say it’s not an accident,” he added. “Our victim was asking him to not point the shotgun at her prior to her death. That’s not an accident.”

In another 911 call, a bystander reportedly told a dispatcher he was in his car when he heard a gunshot and heard, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

“She’s a kid,” the caller said. “I just heard a gunshot and heard them scream.”

Nancy Ledbetter, a neighbor, told WHIO she was shocked when she heard the gunfire.

“I kind of was, you know, wondering what was going on, so I started to walk over there, and right across the street at the corner, there was a lady, and I asked her, ‘Do you happen to know what’s going on?’ She says my granddaughter was shot,” Ledbetter told the station.

Farler was previously arrested in October 2023 for pointing a laser at an Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter, WHIO reported, citing court documents. Johns told the Daily News he had been prohibited from carrying a firearm due to a prior drug trafficking conviction.

He’s expected to appear in court on April 17.

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‘To say it was a tragedy is an understatement’: Man accused of fatally shooting teen daughter blamed stepson with autism, police say

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‘To say it was a tragedy is an understatement’: Man accused of fatally shooting teen daughter blamed stepson with autism, police say

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