Man shoots off fingertip at Nassau police headquarters

A 77-year-old Levittown man accidentally shot his own fingertip off at the pistol license unit of Nassau police headquarters in Mineola Tuesday, police said.

The man had brought in his Smith & Wesson 622 automatic pistol for an annual inspection at the pistol license unit around noon, said police spokesman Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

Guns brought in for inspection are supposed to be unloaded, but the man's pistol had one bullet in the chamber, said Repalone, who declined to identify the man.

The victim was showing the pistol to an officer when the gun discharged and struck him on the left index finger, Repalone said.

The officer was standing behind a counter protected by bulletproof glass and was not struck by the bullet; no one else was injured, he said.

The man was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, according to Repalone. "He was shaken up and very remorseful," Repalone said.

The man is expected to undergo surgery to have his fingertip reattached and will not face criminal charges. But, because of the accident, his five pistols -- all properly licensed -- have been confiscated, Repalone said. It's not clear whether they will be returned.

"Licensees need to make sure their guns are unloaded when they bring them in," Repalone said.

By BY SOPHIA CHANG
Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2008

 E-mail this page
 Printer-friendly page