Man Shot in Gun Store While Employee Was Unloading Gun
Reports out of New Mexico reveal that a local gun shop employee accidentally shot a customer in the back when the handgun he was unloading discharged.
The incident, which took place in Silver City close to the Texas border in southwestern New Mexico, involved a 65-year old man who was airlifted to a hospital in El Paso, Texas and was listed as being in a stable condition as of Tuesday.
The man who was shot at the gun shop happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as an employee at Copper County Sporting Arms, who has yet to be identified, shot the man in the back after the gun inadvertently discharged as it was being unloaded, according to The Las Cruses Sun-News
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Silver City Police Chief Ed Reynolds revealed that the employee at Copper County Sporting Arms was unloading a .45 caliber handgun when the weapon went off.
Reynolds explained that emergency responders from several cities including Silver City Police Department, the Grant County Sheriff's Department, and Gila Regional Medical Center arrived on the scene and had to close off the street in front of the shop in order for an emergency medical helicopter to land.
Reynolds stated that an investigation is ongoing and it is not yet clear if any charges will be filed. The names of those involved have not been released. He said the case had been given to local prosecutors who will determine the next course of action.
"It was pretty unusual," Reynolds told AP. "We hadn't seen any signs of foul play or anything like that."
A person who answered the phone Wednesday at Copper Country said the store would not comment.
The store is listed on Silver City's tourism website as a shop that sells guns, ammunition, bows, archery supplies and related sporting goods. The store does not have any previously recorded incidents, according to Reynolds.
