OHIO — One person was injured after an accidental shooting at a sporting goods store in Boardman on Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
Officers with the Boardman Police Department responded to Fin Feather Fur Outfitters on Boardman Poland Road around 3 p.m. after a 911 caller reported that a gun had been fired inside the store.
When officers arrived, an employee told them a firearm had discharged inside the store. Another employee had been struck in the arm and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to a police report, an older man brought a handgun in a case to the store while looking for a holster. An employee asked whether the weapon had been checked at the service desk. Police said the customer became argumentative and insisted he was legally allowed to carry the firearm, adding that he would never bring a loaded gun into the store.
Police noted that signs posted at the store entrance state that all firearms brought into the business must be unloaded, cased and rendered safe.
The report states that an employee removed the firearm from its case and cycled the slide twice before pointing it downward and to the left. The gun then discharged a round.
The bullet shattered glass in a nearby display case, and another employee working nearby was struck in the arm by what employees believed was either the bullet or debris from the impact.
The injured employee was taken to a hospital with what police described as a graze wound. Officers who later spoke with him said he was in stable condition and in good spirits. The wound appeared swollen and bleeding but was considered superficial.
Following the accidental discharge, employees told police the customer immediately asked for his firearm back. Store employees unloaded the weapon and returned it to him after he refused to provide identification, according to the report. The customer then left the store.
No charges had been filed as of Friday morning.
