Gun show leaves two injured, lands a third in jail

[nogods]

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - -

On Saturday afternoon, two people were injured when a gun went off during the gun show. It happened around 3 p.m. at the National Guard Armory.

Rules were posted outside of the armory. Those rules included unloading guns of all ammunition and to put a zip tie around the trigger of a gun so it can't be fired.

Police say the suspect did follow those rules, up until he was about to leave. The suspect, 30-year-old Joshua Wilkinson, had purchased a new holster around a half hour before the show was set to end.

Police say that's when he removed the zip tie that was holding the trigger, causing the slide of the gun to come forward and putting a round in the chamber. When he tried to slip the gun in his holster, the gun fired.

The round hit a plastic bucket on the concrete floor and the fragmentation injured two people, a 72-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy. Both of their injuries were only minor and they were not taken to the hospital.

Wilkinson will spend the weekend in the Vanderburgh County Jail on charges of criminal recklessness.

The Evansville Police Department says Wilkinson had been drinking, but say if that hadn't been the case, he might not have been charged because the incident was an accident.

[GunManDan1]

"Might not have been charged because the incident was an accident?" Is someone joking? 1. The idiot was drinking. 2. The idiot ignored the posted rules, i.e., NO LOADED FIREARMS. 3. Let us count the other way - including putting gun shows at risk from the anti-2nd Amendment Fascists. I hope that the idiot is in the slammer for an extended stay.

[murph50]

Yea--I bet that dude feels like a real moron right now--which should be expected--he is a moron

[S&W645]

Dumb!

[dixie.38]

Accident my a$$. He's one of the many morons that should not touch a firearm.

[routereyes]

"Might not have been charged because the incident was an accident?" Is someone joking? 1. The idiot was drinking. 2. The idiot ignored the posted rules, i.e., NO LOADED FIREARMS. 3. Let us count the other way - including putting gun shows at risk from the anti-2nd Amendment Fascists. I hope that the idiot is in the slammer for an extended stay.

Amen to that Dan. 'nuff said.

[walt629]

Not that I don't think the guy is a moron and should spend more than a weekend in jail just for making gun owners look bad, but I have to question the enforcement of the regulations at the show. Who in their right mind, with todays anti-gun environment would think it's Okay to carry unsecured ammunition into the show? Unsecured in the effect that this twit had a loaded magazine that could have been slapped into a display gun and used in a bad way!

I put some of the blame for this on the proprietors of the show for not taking assured actions to prevent this type of action from happening. And why the hell are they serving alcohol at a gun show? WTF?! Or did this guy show up after downing a couple of beers and he was granted admission anyway? Again WTF?!

Stupid people will always be stupid but the proprieters need to be smarter than the stupid people and enact regulations that will prevent stupid people for doing stupid thing in their show. IMHO of course.

[NavyLCDR]

There are a couple of things that I find to be complete and utter B.S. in this:

Rules were posted outside of the armory. Those rules included unloading guns of all ammunition and to put a zip tie around the trigger of a gun so it can't be fired.

A zip tie around the trigger?!?! Really? Big FAIL! If they are going to zip tie guns, then zip tie goes up through the EMPTY magazine well and then out the ejection port. Obviously, Mr. Moron kept a loaded magazine in the gun. A blatant violation of the four safety rules - keep your finger (and zip ties) off the trigger until the gun is on target and you are ready to fire.

Police say that's when he removed the zip tie that was holding the trigger, causing the slide of the gun to come forward and putting a round in the chamber.

Am I missing something here? Is there any handgun that the trigger locks the slide back on?!?

The Evansville Police Department says Wilkinson had been drinking, but say if that hadn't been the case, he might not have been charged because the incident was an accident.

And this is the biggest B.S. statement of all that I see. WTH does him being under the influence have anything at all to do with it?!?! It was NOT an accident! It was a reckless and negligent discharge of a firearm that injured people, period, end of story. If you "play" with your loaded gun, in public, and it goes off - you need to be held responsible for where that bullet goes. The guy should have been charged and prosecuted REGARDLESS of if he was drinking or not!

[Big Bubba]

Sounds like Josh could be getting some well deserved time in the hotel do right.

[FloridaBlue]

The Florida gun shows that I have been to here all do the zip tie around the trigger as well but there are sheriff's at the front clearing the weapon, unloading the mags and then they zip tie the triggers. Whether this guy had been drinking or not is pointless as it was still a discharge in a public area that caused injury to two innocent people and thankfully it was only minor injuries at that.