A Crossville firefighter was slightly injured when a weapon he was cleaning inside a city fire station discharged, according to Crossville PD.
No charges were filed in the accidental shooting and apparently there is no city ordinance or rule that bans having weapons in city-owned buildings outside the police department. Sources advised, however, that an ordinance is being prepared and will be presented for consideration at the regular January meeting of the city council.
The incident was reported to police Tuesday around 7:25 p.m. when an ambulance was dispatched to station two, located across from Centennial Park on Industrial Blvd.
Maj. Terry White and Sgt. Larry Qualls responded to the incident and learned that Crossville Police Ptl. Mitch Elmore happened by the fire station to use the facilities when he was summoned into the sleeping quarters by firefighters Brian Wyatt and Mitch Jenkins to look at handguns the two owned.
Jenkins and Wyatt had reportedly been target practicing the day before and had decided to clean their weapons that evening.
As the three were looking at and discussing the weapons, a handgun held by Wyatt unexplainably discharged, striking Wyatt in the hand. Wyatt told investigators that he had removed the one bullet in the clip prior to cleaning the weapon and that he did not remember putting the bullet back into the weapon.
Elmore immediately called for an ambulance and a supervisor and Wyatt was taken to Cumberland Medical Center where he was treated in the emergency room and later released.
