Pa. parishioner's gun fires during Easter vigil Mass
ALTOONA, Pa. - Police and the district attorney are reviewing whether charges will be filed against a man whose gun accidentally fired during an Easter vigil Mass in central Pennsylvania.
Altoona police aren't identifying the man who was grazed by the bullet about 11 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
Officer Christy Heck says the gun's safety apparently was not on when the man stood up from kneeling, causing the gun to snag on his pants and fire. The man has a license for the gun and was carrying it legally.
Sgt. Marshall Worling says police and the Blair County district attorney's office are consulting to determine what, if any, charges the man will face.
The gun when off just after the closing prayer when the congregation had been already standing for several minutes, CBS affiliate WTAJ in Altoona reports. The bullet lodged in the church's tile floor.
A man only identified as Jason told WTAJ that after the gun went off, the man handed it to another person, who attempted to hide it in a church program booklet.
Parishioner Sue Talasky told WTAJ the man with the gun should have known better.
"You have to consider that Easter vigil there's a lot of families there with little kids and anything could have happened," Talasky said.