Prosecutors have accused a priest in New Jersey of pointing a functioning, Civil War-style musket at an 8-year-old boy because he was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, NBC New York reports. The priest is a fan of the New York Giants.

Kevin Carter, a 54-year-old priest at St. Margaret of Cortona Roman Catholic Church, in Little Ferry, New Jersey, was arrested Friday on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault by pointing a firearm.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said that Carter asked to see the boy in one of the rectory rooms after Mass services on Sunday, September 13th. There, he allegedly told the boy to stand against a wall, picked up his musket, and pointed it at him.

“As he raised his weapon and pointed it at the boy, he said, ‘I’m going to shoot you,’” Bergen County prosecutor John Molinelli told NBC New York.

“The young boy was apparently a fan of a particular football team, the priest was not. So perhaps we have indication it started out as that,” Molinelli said. “There’s no such thing as joking around with a weapon when you’re dealing with an eight-year-old kid.”

Someone who witnessed the incident reported it to Newark Archdiocese officials on September 25th, and the Archdiocese reported it to the prosecutor’s office on September 28th. On Friday, police found a musket, gunpowder, and ammunition in the rectory.

Carter was arrested and held on $15,000 bail. Earlier this month, the Giants lost to the Cowboys 26-27.

Photo credit: AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.