It was not a toy gun. It was an air rifle about as powerful as a .22 LR capable of killing or seriously injuring someone.
I’m not saying his actions were correct, but the gun was not “loaded.” He was certainly not displaying proper weapons handling by any means and he obviously never learned the first rule of gun safety.
Despite that, he obviously thought the gun a toy, and there is no way it was “capable of killing or seriously injuring someone.” Even airguns are not sold loaded or charged.
While you and I (and all from the gun culture) agree that all weapons should be treated as lethal at all times, most people today have no training and little understanding of guns. Air rifles, BB guns and paintball guns are considered toys by most people and I doubt many here could say they never did something stupid with some sort of air rifle. It’s a bit of a meme, you know: “it’s all fun and games til you shoot your eye out.”
Yes, the guy was not following basic gun safety rules, but he was acting in character with many, if not most, recreational airgun users. The only dangerous and criminal actions came from the caller and police.