Daughter shot boyfriend by accident, actor says
Actor Tom Savini said that when his daughter shot her boyfriend Saturday, it was an accident.
“There was no malintent,” Mr. Savini, who is also a special effects artist, said when reached by phone Monday in Pittsburgh.
Lia Savini, 29, of Bloomfield told police that a gun registered to her father accidentally discharged while she was moving it, and a bullet hit her boyfriend, Trey Schafer, in the arm and chest about 8 p.m. Saturday in their home on the 300 block of Ella Street, according to a criminal complaint.
They both told police the shooting was an accident. Ms. Savini said they had been drinking since 3 p.m. in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, and police said both were intoxicated.
Ms. Savini was charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in the shooting, because police said the couple were arguing before the shooting; their home was in disarray with spilled rice and pieces of torn-up flowers on the kitchen floor; and Mr. Schafer had other injuries, including a cut on his cheek,
bruised nose and a brush burn on his head, the complaint says.
Ms. Savini will appear in court March 24 for her preliminary hearing. She was released on bond Sunday from the Allegheny County Jail, and Mr. Schafer was also released from UPMC Presbyterian that morning, Mr. Savini said. Neither could be reached for comment.
“They’re both together and fine and just taking it easy this morning,” Mr. Savini said Monday.
The special effects guru’s makeup credits include “Friday the 13th,” “Dawn of the Dead” and “Monkey Shines,” in which a 3-year-old Ms. Savini appeared, according to the IMDb website. He leads the Special Make-Up Effects Program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen.
Mr. Savini’s lengthy credits also include appearances in movies such as “Django Unchained” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”
Stephen Chbosky, the author turned director-writer of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” called Mr. Savini a “hero of mine” during production in Pittsburgh and cast him as a high school shop teacher in the 2012 release, which was filmed in the area.