http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_ccf5806e-41df-11e0-a8c6-001cc4c03286.html
BLOOMINGTON -- Two men were injured in an accidental shooting Saturday morning at the ECA Gun and Knife Show at Bloomington's Sale Barn.
An attendee at the show was handling a mini-14, semi-automatic rifle at about 11:15 a.m. As the patron was laying the rifle back on a vendor table, the gun accidentally discharged, said McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery.
"The round went through a post, through a person and then into another person," said Emery, describing the post as wooden, and 6 to 8 inches thick.
One man had a chest wound, while details of the second person's injuries were not immediately available. One victim was taken to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, while the other was transported to Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.
A third person was injured, but the sheriff did not believe it was a gunshot wound. That person refused treatment at the scene.
Emery said the discharged round was a .223 caliber bullet, and police would be investigating why a loaded gun was on hand at the show.
"It's firearm safety," Emery said. "There should not be one weapon on the premises that has ammunition in it."
Normal resident Wally Ward was in the Sale Barn when the gun discharged.
"I heard a large pop, and the next thing I knew people were running for the doors," said Ward.
The show opened at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Sale Barn, 2027 S. Main St., and was back in operation shortly after the shooting. It is scheduled to run through Sunday.
An organizer of the show said ECA, the Egyptian Collectors Association, has sponsored the local show for more than 10 years. Emery said this is the first time there has been an incident at the show.
BLOOMINGTON -- Two men were injured in an accidental shooting Saturday morning at the ECA Gun and Knife Show at Bloomington's Sale Barn.
An attendee at the show was handling a mini-14, semi-automatic rifle at about 11:15 a.m. As the patron was laying the rifle back on a vendor table, the gun accidentally discharged, said McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery.
"The round went through a post, through a person and then into another person," said Emery, describing the post as wooden, and 6 to 8 inches thick.
One man had a chest wound, while details of the second person's injuries were not immediately available. One victim was taken to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, while the other was transported to Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.
A third person was injured, but the sheriff did not believe it was a gunshot wound. That person refused treatment at the scene.
Emery said the discharged round was a .223 caliber bullet, and police would be investigating why a loaded gun was on hand at the show.
"It's firearm safety," Emery said. "There should not be one weapon on the premises that has ammunition in it."
Normal resident Wally Ward was in the Sale Barn when the gun discharged.
"I heard a large pop, and the next thing I knew people were running for the doors," said Ward.
The show opened at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Sale Barn, 2027 S. Main St., and was back in operation shortly after the shooting. It is scheduled to run through Sunday.
An organizer of the show said ECA, the Egyptian Collectors Association, has sponsored the local show for more than 10 years. Emery said this is the first time there has been an incident at the show.
