St. Ignatius man denies charge in child shooting

POLSON — A 26-year-old St. Ignatius man has denied charges filed in the shooting death of a 3-year-old boy at a residence in the Ninepipe area.

Galen Hawk pleaded not guilty Wednesday to negligent homicide for the Oct. 22 death of Lonato Moran-Allen. District Judge James Manley set a March 2 trial. Hawk remains jailed with bail set at $100,000.

Charging documents say Hawk saw the boy holding his gun and took it away. Hawk said the boy then ran away and looked back toward him while pretending to shoot a toy gun.

Hawk said he pointed his gun at Lonato and pulled the trigger, believing the weapon wasn’t loaded because the magazine was in his pocket.

The boy was shot in the back and died less than three weeks before his fourth birthday.