Pasco County deputies said Vernon Messier, 69, was standing in the checkout line at a Publix in Land O' Lakes with his wife, Lillian Messier, when her purse fell from the counter to the ground, causing the gun inside her purse to fire, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
According to deputies, Lillian Messier, 67, is a concealed carry permit-holder and was carrying a Derringer two-shot gun in her purse, WFLA reported.
Andy Taylor, an aide to Pasco County Commissioner, wrote on Twitter that he saw the incident because he was next in line.
“It would be really weird to be guy NEXT to him in line at cashier. I wonder what THAT guy is thinking,” Taylor wrote. “Hello, I am the guy that was next in line at (the) cashier.”
You are going to see story about man accidentally shooting himself in Publix in Pasco today. It would be really weird to be guy NEXT to him in line at cashier. I wonder what THAT guy is thinking.
— Andy (@andytaylor6) May 5, 2019
Hello, I am the guy that was next in line at cashier. https://t.co/NUM2oEExLz
Vernon Messier was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and is in stable condition, WFLA reported.
No criminal charges are expected to be filed, WFTS reported.
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