Erick, OK – An accidental shooting in Erick sent a man to the hospital last week after a handgun discharged while being handled, according to Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning.

Manning said deputies were called to the scene after a man was shot in the leg with a pistol. Investigators learned the man and his son had apparently been looking at the firearm before the accident occurred.

“When they went to put it up, the firearm accidentally went off and shot, I believe, the father in the leg,” Manning said.

The injured man was treated at the scene by ambulance personnel and transported to the hospital. The injury was not believed to be life-threatening, although Manning said it was still considered serious. He said he was told the firearm involved was a .45-caliber handgun.

“That’s going to be a serious wound no matter how you look at it,” Manning said.

Deputies investigated the incident and found no indication that a crime had occurred.

“No crime was committed that we could tell, just an accidental shooting because of handling of the weapon,” Manning said.

Manning said the incident also serves as a reminder about the importance of safely handling firearms. He said the person handling the handgun told deputies he believed the weapon was unloaded.

“I think the guy that was handling the weapon mentioned to my deputies that he thought the weapon was unloaded, and that’s usually how it happens,” Manning said.

Manning said one of the most important firearm safety practices is to always treat a weapon as if it is loaded.

“You assume the weapon is always loaded, and because of that, you don’t point the weapon at anything you don’t want to destroy,” Manning said. “That’s how we teach cops.”

He said making that assumption encourages people to keep their finger off the trigger when they do not intend to fire and to keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction.

“The muzzle of that weapon, wherever you point it, there’s a possibility that you could destroy something in that direction,” Manning said.

Manning stressed that his comments were not intended to criticize those involved in the accident, but to reinforce basic firearm safety.

“Those are the two key things,” Manning said. “Just assume that it’s always loaded.”

No additional information about the injured man’s condition was immediately available.

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