A 22-year-old West Valley City man was arrested early Tuesday after a round fired from his apartment punched through his TV, tore through several interior walls, and lodged in a neighbor’s master bedroom ceiling. No injuries were reported, but the shot left a hole in the bedroom wall and brought an early-morning response from the West Valley City Police Department.
Police say ‘dry firing’ turned into live round
Officers arrived just after midnight and spoke with a neighbor who pointed out the fresh hole in the wall. Police then contacted a 22-year-old man who told them he had recently bought a .357 revolver and had been “dry firing” it while sitting on his couch, according to KSL. Instead of a harmless click, a live round went off.
The booking affidavit states that the bullet traveled through a TV, multiple sheets of sheetrock, and a dresser before entering the adjacent unit and striking the master-bedroom ceiling. Officers booked the man into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of reckless endangerment and public intoxication.
How Utah law looks at accidental gunfire…