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FAIRFIELD, Conn. ‒ A Bridgeport man was charged Monday evening with the accidental shooting of a coworker at a Fairfield motorcycle repair shop. The victim was conscious and in stable condition but required surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport to remove the bullet from his chest.
Fairfield Police gave the following report of the incident: Byron Bigelow, 21, of Beers Street in Bridgeport brought a handgun to work at American Custom on Fairchild Avenue in Fairfield Monday afternoon. While Bigelow was showing the weapon to a coworker, another employee at the shop walked in the room to tell Bigelow to put the gun away. The pistol then accidentally fired a round, hitting the man in the chest.
Bigelow took the victim to the hospital for treatment. While there, Fairfield Police interviewed him, and he explained the accident to investigators. Police then placed him under arrest and took him to their Fairfield headquarters.
“We’re just thankful that the individual that was shot survived,” said Police Chief Gary MacNamara Tuesday. He added that his department offers free gun locks to all residents at their Reef Road headquarters. “Gun owners have an obligation to store guns safely, and to handle them safely, so that this type of incident doesn’t occur.”
Bigelow was charged with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of weapons in a motor vehicle. He was released on a $25,000 bond and will face charges in court on Nov. 7.
Comments (1)
Pistols do not accidentally fire rounds. The suspect violated all manner of basic procedures. He put his finger on the trigger of a loaded weapon and fired the round, not the pistol. Firearms do not discharge by themselves.