Anytime you THINK a gun is unloaded, IT’S NOT.
I’m not sure why anyone would purposefully point a real gun at a boy and pull the trigger, even if it were unloaded.
If I saw a man do that, I’d take it out of his hand and pistol whip the SOB to the point of death or toothlessness, whichever came first.
Treat every weapon as if it is loaded until you have personally checked. Don't think you know it is or isn't, check it.
Never point a weapon at anything or anyone you are not willing to shoot and kill/destroy.
Keep your finger off the trigger unless and until you are ready to fire.
Finally, when you shoot be sure of your target, what is behind it, what is to the sides that might enter the path of the bullet/shot.
Follow these simple, overlapping rules and you too can enjoy a lifetime of accident free firearms ownership and handling with nothing worse than slide bite to show for it.
The gun was almost certainly double-action, and it was not fired accidentally, unless you count an idiot in action as 'accidental'.
Training new shooters, I beat the following into their heads:
TREAT EVERY GUN AS IF IT'S LOADED! The true "safety" on any gun is between the shooter's ears! Funny how the only guns used to accidentally shoot people are unloaded!
Mark