A 19-year-old Gardnerville man was injured Monday when a weapon being handled by his father in another room of the home accidentally discharged and he was struck in the abdomen.
Douglas County Sheriff's deputies and paramedics responded to the Gardnerville home in the 1400 block of James Road at about 6:15 p.m.
It was determined that Wallace Eshelman had removed the magazine from the 22 cal. handgun and believing the weapon to be unloaded, pointed the weapon at an interior wall and pulled the trigger.
The weapon discharged and the bullet passed through the wall, across a hallway,through a bathroom door and struck the victim.
The victim was transported by CareFlight to Reno and was treated for what was reported as non-life threatening injuries.
"This near tragedy highlights the need to treat weapons at all times as if they were loaded," Sgt. Tom Mezzetta said. "When clearing a weapon for cleaning or other purposes, the weapon should be pointed down towards the ground.
"When handling semi-automatics, remove the magazine, check the chamber to ensure that no ammunition remains and then check the chamber again.
"Even after thoroughly inspecting the weapon, never point the weapon at anyone or anything other than straight down towards the ground. And, weapons should never be left out in the open or accessible by others, especially children, when left unattended by the owner."
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