Fauropitotto
December 8, 2009, 03:19 PM
9mm malfunctions at Lakeland gun range, shoots three people (http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/9mm-malfunctions-at-lakeland-gun-range-shoots-three-people/1041591)
Right in my own backyard..
TAMPA — Michael Thourot had just pulled his hand away from the warm metal when it started spewing bullets.
Moments before, Sherri Thourot had watched her husband fire and reload the Jennings 9mm. Then he set it down for her to shoot next at the range.
That's when the handgun started firing on its own, she said, spinning around in circles, landing the Thourots and an Irish tourist in the hospital.
"Nothing like that has ever happened," said Sherri Thourot on Sunday evening from her room at Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
"We've been around guns all our lives."
But as soon as Michael Thourot took his hand off the gun, it started firing like it was possessed, his wife said.
"I saw that he'd been hit, but I couldn't tell how bad," Sherri Thourot said. "Then I realized I had been hit. My hand was bent forward and I couldn't move my arm."
A bullet tore through the back of her right arm and exited from her biceps. Her husband had been shot in the left hand. Another man, a 29-year-old tourist visiting a friend, was hit in the shoulder and throat as he stood behind a shooting stall next to the Thourots.
All three were taken to the Lakeland hospital, where Michael Thourot and the tourist, Gary Flynn, underwent surgery.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the gun may have been altered, leading to the malfunction. Detectives expect to know more when they take the gun apart and inspect it as they continue to investigate.
Sherri Thourot said her son, 29-year-old Jeremy, brought the 9mm back to the United States after one of his tours in Iraq with the Navy. He gave it to them this summer.
The couple cleaned the gun and made sure it was in good condition before taking it to the range, she said. They never expected to leave in an ambulance.
There's not enough information here to draw a conclusion about why this occurred, however take this as a heads up over what *can* happen if you decide to haphazardly maul your pistol with a dremel for that awesome 1lb trigger pull you think you can magically pull off.
Get proper tools, get proper knowledge or training before you decide to play around with home modifications.
Just sayin'
Right in my own backyard..
TAMPA — Michael Thourot had just pulled his hand away from the warm metal when it started spewing bullets.
Moments before, Sherri Thourot had watched her husband fire and reload the Jennings 9mm. Then he set it down for her to shoot next at the range.
That's when the handgun started firing on its own, she said, spinning around in circles, landing the Thourots and an Irish tourist in the hospital.
"Nothing like that has ever happened," said Sherri Thourot on Sunday evening from her room at Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
"We've been around guns all our lives."
But as soon as Michael Thourot took his hand off the gun, it started firing like it was possessed, his wife said.
"I saw that he'd been hit, but I couldn't tell how bad," Sherri Thourot said. "Then I realized I had been hit. My hand was bent forward and I couldn't move my arm."
A bullet tore through the back of her right arm and exited from her biceps. Her husband had been shot in the left hand. Another man, a 29-year-old tourist visiting a friend, was hit in the shoulder and throat as he stood behind a shooting stall next to the Thourots.
All three were taken to the Lakeland hospital, where Michael Thourot and the tourist, Gary Flynn, underwent surgery.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the gun may have been altered, leading to the malfunction. Detectives expect to know more when they take the gun apart and inspect it as they continue to investigate.
Sherri Thourot said her son, 29-year-old Jeremy, brought the 9mm back to the United States after one of his tours in Iraq with the Navy. He gave it to them this summer.
The couple cleaned the gun and made sure it was in good condition before taking it to the range, she said. They never expected to leave in an ambulance.
There's not enough information here to draw a conclusion about why this occurred, however take this as a heads up over what *can* happen if you decide to haphazardly maul your pistol with a dremel for that awesome 1lb trigger pull you think you can magically pull off.
Get proper tools, get proper knowledge or training before you decide to play around with home modifications.
Just sayin'
