MONROE - The 8-year-old boy injured in an accidental shooting last month is recovering well, according to his father.
Noah Bowles, Livingston, was accidentally shot in the face with a Marlin .22-caliber rifle by his 13-year-old cousin, who was babysitting him on Jan. 25. He is currently recovering at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.
His father, Justin Bowles of Monticello, said his son is out of the intensive care unit and is preparing for another surgery later this week.
"He's getting out of his room," Justin Bowles said. "He's doing really well."
The elder Bowles said the 3½ hour drive to the hospital is difficult for the family. A Livingston bank is holding a fundraising drive to help the family pay for travel expenses. There also is a GoFundMe set up in Noah's name; the website has raised more than $1,400 as of Sunday.
Another struggle for the family is getting Noah's 4-year-old sister to see him.
"She has been like a lost puppy without him. They are really tight," the elder Bowles said. "She has had influenza, and we wanted to make sure she was clear before we took her to the hospital."
Justin Bowles said he was working out when he first got the news of his son's accident and that he hadn't known if Noah had died.
"One of the first questions you ask yourself is, 'Was my kid playing with the gun?'" he said.
Justin Bowles, whose father is a sworn officer, said he has spent time teaching his own child gun safety by hunting squirrels in the woods with BB guns while not letting the child pull the trigger. He said teaching children gun safety is important.
"This could have been prevented," Justin Bowles said.
The 13-year-old had taken hunter safety courses, according to an attorney representing the Bowles children's interests in their parents' divorce case.
The Grant County Sheriff's Department is still investigating the incident. Charges may be brought against either the babysitter or to the owners of the weapon, according to an initial report from the department.
Noah Bowles, Livingston, was accidentally shot in the face with a Marlin .22-caliber rifle by his 13-year-old cousin, who was babysitting him on Jan. 25. He is currently recovering at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.
His father, Justin Bowles of Monticello, said his son is out of the intensive care unit and is preparing for another surgery later this week.
"He's getting out of his room," Justin Bowles said. "He's doing really well."
The elder Bowles said the 3½ hour drive to the hospital is difficult for the family. A Livingston bank is holding a fundraising drive to help the family pay for travel expenses. There also is a GoFundMe set up in Noah's name; the website has raised more than $1,400 as of Sunday.
Another struggle for the family is getting Noah's 4-year-old sister to see him.
"She has been like a lost puppy without him. They are really tight," the elder Bowles said. "She has had influenza, and we wanted to make sure she was clear before we took her to the hospital."
Justin Bowles said he was working out when he first got the news of his son's accident and that he hadn't known if Noah had died.
"One of the first questions you ask yourself is, 'Was my kid playing with the gun?'" he said.
Justin Bowles, whose father is a sworn officer, said he has spent time teaching his own child gun safety by hunting squirrels in the woods with BB guns while not letting the child pull the trigger. He said teaching children gun safety is important.
"This could have been prevented," Justin Bowles said.
The 13-year-old had taken hunter safety courses, according to an attorney representing the Bowles children's interests in their parents' divorce case.
The Grant County Sheriff's Department is still investigating the incident. Charges may be brought against either the babysitter or to the owners of the weapon, according to an initial report from the department.