Dog the Bounty Hunter's step-son made haunting post years before accidentally killing own child with rifle

Warning: This article contains discussion of a sensitive incident which some readers may find distressing

Dog the Bounty Hunter's step-son shared a gun-related post years before accidentally killing his own 13-year-old son with a rifle.

Reality star Duane 'Dog' Chapman and his wife, Francie Frane, said in a statement to TMZ on Sunday (20 July) that they are asking 'for continued prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson'.

It has been reported that Gregory Zecca, Frane's son, accidentally shot his son Anthony in what the family has called a 'tragic accident'.

The shooting was said to have occurred on Saturday night (19 July) at Zecca's flat in Naples, Florida, at around 8pm local time.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office told the Naples Daily News that no arrests were made as they investigate the 'isolated incident'.

Dog the Bounty Hunter's 13-year-old step-grandson (middle bottom) was accidentally shot by his father, according to reports (Instagram/@franciedogchapman)

Zecca is a member of Chapman’s bounty team and was said to have taken his son to a shooting range in 2021, according to pictures on Instagram.

"Getting some range time in with our buddies @franktownfirearms," the father wrote on his account, which has now been disabled, according to the Daily Mail.

In the photos, the young boy is pictured enjoying himself with his dad, with a gun in his hand.

Zecca is Frane’s son from a previous marriage, after she and Chapman tied the knot in 2021.

The pair seemingly grew a connection over the grief of each losing their former spouse.

“We understood the pain that the other one was feeling and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up,” Frane told Entertainment Tonight in 2020.

The image was taken from Gregory Zecca, which now appears to be disabled (Instagram/Gregory Zecca)

“We could cry with each other and talk about what we were feeling. We were able to walk alongside each other through the pain and heartbreak and it brought us together in this amazing way.”

“I know she’s a hunter. Her and her two sons have hunted bow hunt, so they track, they look for things that the prey leaves behind,” Chapman said of his wife on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020.

“She just fit right in. She started getting leads and writing them down, so there’s more than just tracking and hunting.”

Frane and her family, which included Zecca, appeared to embrace Chapman's bounty hunter lifestyle.

LADbible Group has contacted Duane 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Chapman's representatives for comment.