Man accidentally shot at Denver gun show, witnesses say
DENVER -- One man was shot while attending one of Denver's most popular gun shows on Saturday, CBS Denver reports, citing the Adam's County Sheriff's Office.
Witnesses told the station the man was unintentionally shot by another attendee at the Tanner Gun Show.
"There was a bang, and then a gentleman screamed," said one witness, who wished not to be identified. "I saw a man bleeding from the lower right leg."
The witness rushed to the scene where the shot was fired.
"Someone negligently discharged a firearm, and it struck another person in the leg," they said. "There had been somebody that already applied a belt, as a makeshift tourniquet. It was ineffective. I applied a tourniquet that someone handed me."
Emergency responders arrived within minutes, the witness said. The male victim was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
A witness said the entire incident was preventable, especially among a crowd of people who commonly handle firearms.
"The word 'accident' implies it was impossible to prevent, that nobody is at blame," a witness said. "'Negligence' implies this could have been prevented."
Some said this was a prime example of why it is important to carry first aid kits wherever someone goes. They added, this was an example of how human error is usually the blame for gun-related injuries, not the firearm itself.
"Proper gun safety, and handling the firearm, would have prevented this," another witness said.
The shooting is being investigated by the Adams County Sheriff's Department, The Denver Post reports.