Charges filed against Riverton stepfather who shot, killed his stepson

RIVERTON, Utah (ABC4) — Charges have officially been filed against the alleged former Green Beret who shot and killed his stepson while “recklessly” handling a firearm.

Joseph Le Page Lee was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail last week on a manslaughter charge. Today, Lee was officially charged with one count of manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and four counts of reckless endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor.

Documents filed Thursday have revealed more information from a police interview with Lee following the fatal shooting of his 18-year-old stepson, Haven Alexander McBride.

On June 17, 2025, after 3 p.m., Riverton Police officers were dispatched to a report of an accidental shooting near Kessler Peak Drive in Riverton. The victim’s mother reported that her husband had shot her 18-year-old son.

When officers arrived, Lee was performing CPR on the 18-year-old, who had a gunshot wound to the head. A pistol was on the floor with a magazine out. McBride was transported to the hospital, but unfortunately, he was pronounced deceased.

During a police interview with Lee, he told officers that it was an accidental shooting, and the entire thing had been captured on surveillance footage. Lee stated that he had “just got home from OPSEC in Midway, where he had purchased a ‘hip pack,’ two suppressors, two body armor plates, and medic patches for his emergency kit.”

Lee told police that the 18-year-old victim was sitting on the couch in front of him when his stepdaughter, standing next to Lee, asked him a question about guns. At this point, Lee said that he picked up a Glock 19 and that it was muscle memory: “You take the mag out, you rack, aim it down, and pull.”

The barrel of the gun was pointed up because he was showing his stepdaughter something, Lee said, and that in his mind, the magazine was not there when he fired. He described a “bam” and then the 18-year-old, McBride, falling. Lee allegedly told police that he asked his wife to call 911 and told his stepdaughter to put the guns away so “no one else got hurt.

According to what Lee said in the interview, he then took off his hat, gave the 18-year-old a blessing, and started CPR.

During the police interview, Lee allegedly told police that he ” always wondered why people have accidental shootings and always called those people idiots.” Documents say he also expressed that he had always trained his kids to aim down when handling guns and claimed that he was “following protocol” when the accidental shooting happened.

Video surveillance showed that the events were similar to the way that Lee described. Just after 3:10 p.m., Lee is sitting on the floor, and his stepson is seated on the couch across from him. His stepdaughter is standing next to him while Lee shows off the items he had purchased.

A few minutes later, Lee can be seen picking up a handgun to show to his stepdaughter and stands up from the ground, racking the gun. The 18-year-old victim stood up and began moving toward Lee when a gunshot was heard, and he immediately fell to the ground. The other individuals in the room can “be seen jumping from the couches after the handgun goes off,” and Lee tells his wife to call 911.

In the video, Lee tells his stepdaughter to put the guns away and give him the one that had just been fired. He then kneels next to McBride, giving the 18-year-old a blessing. His wife says that 911 wants him to perform CPR. Lee says he will and tells her to “give him one second.” Two minutes later, he begins performing CPR until officers arrive.

Four minutes had passed between when the shooting occurred and when Lee began performing CPR. Detectives also noted that Lee’s wife and three other family members were in the line of fire before the discharge, and all were endangered due to his mishandling of the gun.

“The defendant claimed he was a medic in the military, but it took him approximately four minutes to start rendering aid to H.M. Additionally, Detectives located a trauma kit in the home
that the defendant did not use to help the victim,” documents say.

Overall, Lee is accused of being reckless with the firearms. He reportedly claimed to police that he had “extensive training in the operation and safe handling of firearms” due to his experience as a U.S. Army Green Beret. Lee is currently being held without bail at the Salt Lake County Jail.

“Owning a gun is a right in our country. However, that right does not absolve all of us from the responsibility in the way we handle such weapons. If you are a gun owner, please follow proper protocol when using them, especially when others are around,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is quoted in a release.

A GoFundMe to raise money for McBride’s funerary services has been organized. He is remembered as a “kind, hardworking young man” and was reportedly “excited to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” according to the GoFundMe.