Priest ‘pointed musket’ at 8-year-old over Giants-Cowboys rivalry

The priest then allegedly took the musket and pointed it at the boy with an indication he would shoot.

Prosecutors have accused a priest in New Jersey of pointing a functioning, Civil War-style musket at an 8-year-old boy because he was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, NBC New York reports. Before the service, Carter allegedly asked to see the child in a room at the rectory, then ordered him to stand against a wall.

Police arrested Carter on Friday and charged him with endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree crime, and aggravated assault, a fourth-degree crime.

The Giants lost to the Cowboys 26-27 on September 13.

“I don’t know whether it ended up to be an actual argument or whether or not the priest was just showing his preference for his team, but our position is there is really no basis to ever point any weapon at an 8-year-old child”, Molinelli said. Bail was set at $15,000. He was still in custody at Little Ferry Police headquarters Friday night and could not be reached; it wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.

A search of the rectory turned up the musket along with gun powder, ammunition and other items related to the firearm, the prosecutor’s office said.

Authorities learned of the allegation after a St. Margaret parishioner contacted the Archdiocese of Newark a week ago.

The prosecutor’s office says Carter was ordained in Newark in November 1986 and has since worked at various Roman Catholic churches across the Archdiocese.

Carter has been assigned to St. Margaret’s since February of 2013, and oversaw major renovations to the church following Superstorm Sandy.