Orem man shot with his own gun

PROVO — An Orem man shot during an unlucky gun accident is actually quite fortunate considering where the stray bullet could have hit him, police say.

"Bullets in the body are bad no matter where, but (doctors) didn't think it hit anything vital," said Provo Police Capt. Cliff Argyle.

The man, 57, was working at an ammunition reloading business at 1262 S. Industrial Parkway in Provo Tuesday afternoon when he removed his holstered 9mm gun.

He began to place the gun somewhere else when it slipped out of his hands, Argyle said. The gun, still in the holster, hit the floor and fired, striking the man in the lower abdomen.

The man's co-workers called police just before 2 p.m. after they heard the shot and saw him in distress.

Paramedics rushed the man via ambulance to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Argyle said.

The man was able to talk with officers at the hospital and his condition wasn't believed to be life threatening. However, with no exit wound, doctors needed to remove the bullet, Argyle said.

"He said he had the safety on," Argyle said. "Apparently it fell just right that it made the gun discharge ... inside the holster. That is the definition of bad luck."

No charges were filed and the investigation was closed, Argyle said.

— Sara Israelsen-Hartley