CRANBERRY TWP., Pa. (EYT) – A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with a 2023 accidental shooting at a Cranberry Township rental that left a young girl seriously injured.
According to court documents, Franklin-based State Police filed the following charges on March 28, 2025, against 23-year-old Nicholas Mason Helms, of Richmond, Indiana:
- Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 1
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
According to a criminal complaint filed by Trooper Andrew Harriger, of the Franklin-based State Police, officers were dispatched around 9:39 p.m., on March 31, 2023, to a residence on US Route 62 in Cranberry Township, Venango County, for reports of a gunshot wound to a child’s head.
Police say a group of individuals from Indiana had rented the residence while visiting friends in the Venango County area. The incident occurred when 23-year-old Damien John Gross, of Richmond, Indiana, allegedly asked Nicholas Helms to move items, including a Mossberg 9mm handgun, from the dining room table to a first-floor bedroom, the complaint states…