March 24, 2026

Sheriff Investigates After State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough’s 6-year-old Son Accidentally Shoots 13-Year-Old Brother

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

March 24, 2026

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. A state representative is now under investigation after his 6-year-old son accidentally shot his 13-year-old brother in the back of the shoulder at their home.

Yarbrough’s wife called 911 to report the incident but when Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies and EMS responded to their home Saturday evening, March 21, 2026, the family had already transported the injured child to the emergency room before deputies arrived and later took him to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brian Covington reported.

Covington said the 6-year-old had retrieved a .556-caliber AR-style rifle which was loaded with ammunition and accidentally fired it, striking his 13-year-old brother in the back of the shoulder.

The 13-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is reportedly back home recovering. Yarbrough, his wife, and four other children were inside the home at the time of the shooting.

The case is under investigation and has been forwarded to the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office, according to the sheriff’s office.

The first-term lawmaker has not publicly commented on the shooting

Alabama law mandates locked storage of firearms when children are in the home and parents can face legal liability for negligence if a child accesses an unsecured gun.