An Anderson County man told a sheriff’s deputy Monday that he accidentally shot himself in the face while cleaning a 7.62-millimeter rifle, WYSH Radio reported.
The parents of Wesley Woods called deputies to their home on McCulley Lane Monday night after hearing a gunshot and finding their 22-year-old son Wesley bleeding from his mouth and nose, the radio station said.
The deputy’s report said the shot had split Woods’ lip and nose “completely into two different sections.”
Woods, who was able to speak to the deputy, told him that he had been cleaning the rifle when it went off, WYSH said.
The gun was found lying on a mattress with one round in the chamber and another in the magazine.
This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.
Alway Amazed says
I’ve been cleaning guns for 25 yrs and I go on the fact that a gun is always loaded until I unload it myself. These stories of people cleaning their guns and shooting themselves is always puzzling to me. Number one rule always empty your gun before you clean.
Guest says
I am going to say, I was raised around guns all my life. I was taught that guns are not toys and consider them always loaded. Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shot. Then when I was 10, I took the TN hunter safety class and they really drive home the point to ALWAYS check a gun yourself. Never just believe it is unloaded. Also when unloading a gun, unload the mag/tube first and the chamber last so you don’t work a round back in the chamber if there is one in the mag/tube.
Now days, when I clean a gun. I make certain it is unloaded. I even let my wife recheck it so that she knows it is unloaded before I even start. I don’t want to be a statistic.
Floyd D Barber says
Who cleans a semi-auto with rounds in the chamber and magazine? Sounds more like an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Mr Pickles says
Most of these ‘gun cleaning accidents’ are simply suicide attempts/
Floyd D Barber says
Who cleans a gun with a round in the chamber and also in the magazine?