CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
SLCPD says an accidental gunshot almost hit an 8-year-old, offers gun safety reminder to community
Jun 30, 2022, 1:45 PM | Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 11:31 am
The apartment wall that the bullet traveled through is pictured. Photo credit: Salt Lake City Police Department.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Police Department sent out a reminder about gun safety Thursday morning following an incident earlier in the week where a gunshot reportedly traveled through an apartment wall, past an 8-year-old boy. The boy was unharmed but police urged the community to practice gun safety.
The SLCPD said 26-year-old Chase Wright was practicing dry-firing in his apartment Tuesday afternoon. Dry firing is the practice of firing a gun when it has no ammunition in it.
Wright told police he thought the gun was unloaded and accidentally shot it inside his apartment.
Police said that a bullet traveled through Wright’s wall into a neighbor’s apartment, where an 8-year-old boy was sitting. The bullet went through a second wall and was found by the 8-year-old’s father in a bedroom.
The boy was unharmed, and Wright was arrested and taken to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.
As for gun safety, the SLCPD offered six rules to practice:
- Always treat guns as if they are loaded
- Point guns in the safest direction
- Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you’re ready to shoot
- Know your target, but also know what’s around and behind your target
- Understand how to operate your gun safely
- Keep guns stored safely, prevent unauthorized use and keep ammunition in a separate location
The SLCPD offers additional gun safety tips on its website.
