Duane Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, is mourning a devastating loss following a fatal shooting involving members of his extended family.
Chapman’s stepson, 38-year-old Gregory Zecca, allegedly shot and killed his 13-year-old son, Anthony, in what has been described as a tragic accident, per PEOPLE.
The young teen was the grandson of Chapman’s wife, Francie Frane, from her previous marriage.
In a joint statement to TMZ, a spokesperson for Chapman and Frane said: “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.”
Local authorities responded to the shooting around 8:00PM, according to police, The Hollywood Reporter details. No arrests have been made at this time, and the incident is being treated as isolated. An investigation remains ongoing.
Chapman, 71, married Francie Frane in 2021 after both lost their previous spouses to cancer. Francie’s late husband passed away just six months before Chapman’s wife, Beth Chapman, died in 2019. The couple connected over their shared grief and have since spoken openly about how they’ve helped one another heal.
“For a living, she’s a rancher and she recently lost her husband to cancer six months before I lost Beth,” Chapman said in 2020, per Metro. “So we hopped on the phone, started talking to each other, crying and consoling each other and then one thing led to another. It’s just incredible that I’ve been able to meet someone like her.”
He continued: “With Francie, I’m allowed to speak about Beth, we speak about her husband. We cry. We hold each other.”
Chapman, who has 13 children of his own, has credited Francie with helping him regain a sense of purpose following Beth’s death.
“I am a fixer. I have to catch bad guys. I got to be at the top of my game. I can’t feel sorry for myself or guilty,” he said. “I got to go out there and make a difference. That’s what I do for a living, so I’ve got to man up. She helps me do that.”
No further details about the shooting have been released at this time.
Our thoughts go out to the family at this difficult time.
