Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Two friends were handling a gun in the Poplar Grove neighborhood Friday when went it went off, critically injuring one of them.
The shooting happened around 5:20 p.m. near Indiana Avenue and Emery Street, Salt Lake police said in a statement Saturday. The pair, both 21-year-old men, were "in the backyard manipulating a firearm," a police booking affidavit says. It is not clear from the documents what kind of gun was involved.
The victim took the magazine out of the gun and emptied it of rounds, but neither removed the bullet left in the chamber, according to the affidavit.
The man who shot the gun told police he was trying to "dry fire at a 45-degree angle away from the victim and was unsure how the victim (ended) up getting shot and stated it was accidental," the affidavit states. The man who was shot told police his friend "pointed the firearm downward to show him the gun, when the gun was discharged."
Both told police it was an accident, and the injured man was transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition. The injuries were not considered life threatening, according to police.
Officers secured the weapon and booked the man into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of reckless endangerment and unlawful discharge of a firearm. No charges have been filed.
