SUTTON, W.Va. -- A Braxton County High School student who allegedly killed his uncle at a home about 100 yards from the school says the shooting was an accident, State Police said Wednesday.

Billy Joe McCraw, 18, was charged with wanton endangerment with a firearm, a felony that carries a possible sentence of one to three years in prison, said Sgt. A.J. Shingler.

McCraw was lodged at the Central Regional Jail after his early-morning arrest, held on $100,000 bond.

He's accused of killing 33-year-old Donald Morrison late Tuesday night in the Sutton home where both of them were living. Morrison died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

McCraw said the gun went off as he handed it to his uncle, according to a criminal complaint filed in Braxton County Magistrate Court.

McCraw was arrested around 2 a.m. and the scene was cleared by 5 a.m., Shingler said, so operations at the school were unaffected. Witnesses were still being interviewed Wednesday afternoon, and the investigation was continuing.

Police will consult with the county prosecutor on whether additional charges should be filed once the investigation is finished, Shingler said.

Superintendent of Schools Dennis Albright confirmed that McCraw is a student but said he couldn't say anything more about the teen, including whether he had any disciplinary problems.

Counselors were on hand across the district, Albright said, because the shooting affects extended family in four or five schools.