LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- A lesson in gun safety between a father and son went terribly wrong Wednesday afternoon in Lakewood.

Investigators said the 36-year-old father was attempting to teach his 13-year-old son gun safety and how to deal with an intruder.

Police believe the teenager was holding the gun when it discharged, striking his father in the head.

The father was pronounced dead at St. Anthony Hospital shortly after the shooting.

The victim was identified as Scot Hoffa by his friends and neighbors.

The teenage boy told police that he thought the gun was unloaded. The type of weapon involved in the shooting was not released.

Lakewood police spokeswoman Stacie Oulton said that the boy's two younger sisters, ages 7 and 9, were in the room and watched the entire incident.

The shooting happened around 3:45 p.m. in the 100 block of South Kendall Street.

Oulton said that several guns were found inside the home.

Police are continuing their investigation.

The shooting has stunned this suburban community, who describe the Hoffa family as a typical suburban household with the parents busy ferrying the kids to school in the mornings and to athletic practices and events in the evenings.

The 13-year-old boy was described as a sweet kid and gifted athlete who plays football and baseball.

Lakewood police said they generally advise that the safest way to teach children about gun-safety is with qualified firearms instructors.