imported post
Starbucks Worker Shoots
Self in Leg
Last Edited: Tuesday, 03 Mar 2009, 9:15 PM EST
Created On: Tuesday, 03 Mar 2009, 6:13 PM EST
WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. Police say a Starbucks employee is hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he had in his pocket while he was working at the coffee shop.
It happened at the Starbucks location on 16th Street NW and U Street NW in Washington on Tuesday afternoon around 4:40 p.m. Investigators say the 22-year-old man was carrying a small, concealed handgun and shot himself in the left leg while customers and co-workers were close by.
"After further investigation, we determined it was an accidental shooting," said Lt. Erich Miller of the D.C. Police Department. "The subject was an employee of Starbucks carrying a small-caliber handgun."
That was stunning news to some customers.
"I come here all the time," said one man named Steve. "A couple times a day."
Another customer who spoke with FOX 5 was from Holland. He had only been in D.C. for 30 minutes when he came to the crime scene.
"It's quite shocking, I would say," the man told FOX 5. "You wouldn't expect it. I come from a country where guns are outlawed in any case."
The man, who has not been identified yet, is listed in stable condition at Howard University Hospital. Police say he did not have a permit for the weapon, and he will be charged.
There's no word yet on why he brought the gun to work.