SELINSGROVE — A man who identified himself only as the father of a 14-year-old boy who accidentally shot another in the arm Thursday night with a 20-gauge, double-barrel shotgun said the two had been filming a YouTube video on gun safety.

Because of their ages, Selinsgrove police could not release the identities of either boy. The shooting victim was taken by DH&L Emergency Medical Services to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, for treatment.

The man said his son did not know the gun was loaded. His son had gone to the basement to feed their cat, while the other boy placed a bullet in the firearm.

When his son returned upstairs, he saw the cocked gun lying on an end table, and as he attempted to put it into a safety position, his thumb slipped and the gun fired.

“The whole thing is on video,” the father said, adding that Selinsgrove police took custody of both the gun and the video footage.

He said his son, like himself, is an avid hunter and has an interest in firearms and teaching others about how to use them correctly. The shotgun had been a birthday present, he said.

His son dialed 911 around 7:30 p.m. to report the shooting. The father learned about the incident around 9.

The father said his son makes friends easily, but this particular friend is a known troublemaker in the community, and was specifically told he was not welcome in his home. He did not know the name of the boy.

“The kid wasn’t allowed to be here,” said the father, who works the night shift at Three Mile Island — more than an hour away.

“I thought I could trust my son.”

Selinsgrove police were assisted by personnel from DH&L, the Snyder County District Attorney’s office, Snyder County Emergency Services, and a trooper from the Pennsylvania State Police Reconstruction and Investigation, Montoursville station.

The incident is still under investigation by the Selinsgrove police.