A really tragic accident happened recently involving Duane “Dog” Chapman’s family. His 13-year-old step-grandson, Anthony, was shot and killed by his own dad.
It all happened in Naples, Florida, on July 19. Reports say it was all accidental.
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Police confirmed the shooting happened around 8 in the evening that day, calling it an “isolated incident,” according to TMZ.
Chapman’s family is still trying to process the loss
A rep for the family told TMZ, “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’re clearly heartbroken and trying to lean on each other during this awful time.
Police are still looking into what happened
As of now, the investigation is still going. No one’s been arrested yet, and authorities haven’t said much more publicly.
The father was Francie’s son from a previous marriage
Anthony’s dad, Gregory Zecca, is Francie Chapman’s son from before she married Duane.
This wasn’t just a tragic accident. It’s something that’s torn through several layers of the family.
Francie and Duane found each other through shared pain
Before they got together, both Duane and Francie had gone through some really tough losses.
Francie lost her husband, Bob, to cancer. And just six months later, Duane lost his wife, Beth, also to cancer.
Francie once said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, “We understood the pain that the other one was feeling and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up.”
She added, “We could cry with each other and talk about what we were feeling. We were able to walk alongside each other through the pain and heartbreak and it brought us together in this amazing way.”
They’ve always kept their late spouses close
Francie also shared how their past partners were still a big part of their lives.
“We’re never going to leave Bob and Beth behind [or] forget about them. They’ll always be a part of us. We thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives with them and that’s not what happened and we were dealt a really hard hand.”
Duane has a big and complicated family
Duane’s personal life has had a lot of chapters. He’s been married six times and has a total of thirteen children from his past relationships.
Another son came into the picture not long ago
In 2023, Duane actually found out he had another son, named Jon, he didn’t know about. And with that, Duane’s number of kids became thirteen.
