A high school graduation ceremony in Kansas has resulted in an accidental shooting that the local police chief has described as a “knucklehead situation,” after a man in the audience accidentally shot himself in the foot and wounded another person when he was adjusting the gun concealed in his sock.
The shooting happened in Augusta High School as the graduating senior students and their families were making their way into the football stadium. The bullet travelled through the man’s foot and continued on for a further 50 feet, where it struck a woman’s calf muscle.
While both parties sought treatment for their injuries at a nearby hospital in Wichita, CBS News reported that the man was able to drive himself there. The woman was released later that day, while the man was admitted with a non-life-threatening injury.
Tyler Brewer, the Augusta police chief, said that the man does have a concealed weapon permit, and that he has accidentally fired his weapon while trying to readjust its position in his sock. The pistol was reportedly making his foot feel discomfort.
The man may still face criminal charges, however, as it is illegal in the state of Kansas to carry a firearm on school grounds.
The graduation ceremony continued despite the accident, with most of the participants and attendants unaware of what had taken place earlier that day.
