Reality TV fans remember Dog the Bounty Hunter tracking down fugitives for years.
Now his own family is caught in a tragedy that shows how gun safety failures destroy lives.
And Dog the Bounty Hunter's stepson got arrested after police found him with this one thing during his son's fatal shooting.
Deputies Discovered Intoxication Behind the July Tragedy
Gregory Zecca, 39, spent nearly seven months waiting for the hammer to fall after his 13-year-old son Anthony died from a single gunshot wound on July 19, 2025.
Collier County deputies arrested Zecca on February 3 at the same Naples, Florida apartment where the shooting occurred.
Prosecutors hit Zecca with aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol — charges that could send him to prison for life if convicted.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk called the July incident "a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy."
His detectives spent months reconstructing what happened that Saturday night when Zecca and Anthony settled in to watch a UFC fight at a friend's apartment.
The investigation revealed Zecca had been drinking for hours at a local bowling alley before the group headed back to the residence.
Deputies who responded to the frantic 911 call immediately smelled alcohol on Zecca's breath and spotted marijuana in plain view at the scene.
Blood tests confirmed what responding officers suspected — Zecca's blood-alcohol concentration measured 0.116 at the time of the shooting, well above Florida's legal limit of 0.08.
A toxicology expert concluded Zecca was impaired by both alcohol and marijuana when he fatally shot his son.
The witness who called 911 screamed that "Dad shot son" as Anthony lay bleeding from a gunshot wound above the sternum.
Deputies found Zecca performing CPR on Anthony when they arrived, but the teenager couldn't be saved.
Father Practiced Drawing Loaded Gun While Intoxicated
The details uncovered by investigators paint a picture of reckless behavior that escalated throughout the evening.
Witnesses told detectives Zecca repeatedly handled his firearm in Anthony's presence, practicing drawing the gun from his waistband and dry-firing it multiple times.
The gun had initially been made safe by removing the magazine and clearing a live round from the chamber.
At some point during the evening, Zecca reinserted the magazine and chambered a round.
A Sig Sauer P365 9mm handgun sat on the kitchen island when deputies arrived, and Zecca wore an empty holster on his waistband.
The witness told investigators Zecca pointed the gun at Anthony when it discharged, striking the teenager fatally.
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This wasn't the first time Zecca had taken his son around firearms — his now-deleted Instagram account showed photos of the pair at shooting ranges together.
The group had been celebrating Anthony's last day in Florida before he was scheduled to return to Colorado as part of a split custody arrangement.
Anthony had spent two and a half months in Florida visiting his father.
Zecca had joined Dog Chapman's bounty hunting team after marrying into the Chapman family when his mother Francie Frane wed the reality TV star in 2021.
Both Francie and Dog had lost their previous spouses to cancer and found comfort in each other.
After the shooting, deputies placed Zecca on a psychiatric hold over concerns he might harm himself.
A family representative insisted at the time that Zecca was "overcome with grief" and not because he felt guilty about committing a crime.
The Chapman family initially called Anthony's death an "incomprehensible tragic accident" in a statement released through their representative.
They haven't commented publicly since Zecca's arrest.
Mixing alcohol, drugs, and loaded firearms creates the kind of deadly scenario that claimed Anthony Zecca's life.
The case now moves to Florida's court system where prosecutors will seek to hold Zecca accountable for his son's death.
Sources:
- Lauryn Overhultz, "Dog the Bounty Hunter's stepson arrested after 13-year-old son's fatal shooting," Fox News, February 4, 2026.
- "Dog the Bounty Hunter's Stepson Faces Life in Prison After Fatally Shooting His 13-Year-Old Son," Yahoo Entertainment, February 4, 2026.
- "Firearm Safety: 2025 Resource Guide," Children's Safety Network, 2025.
