Juvenile Accidentally Shoots Himself, Gets Arrested: East Haven Police

EAST HAVEN, CT — A juvenile has been arrested after accidentally shooting himself in the leg inside a home in East Haven on Sunday, according to police.

Police received a 911 call from a juvenile saying that he had just accidentally shot himself in the leg while handling a gun, according to East Haven Police Captain Joseph M. Murgo.

Arriving officers found the juvenile in the living room of a home on Hughes Street. He was suffering from a gunshot wound to his left leg, according to Murgo.

Murgo said Officer Micah Belcher provided medical attention to the juvenile until the East Haven Fire Department arrived to provide additional medical attention.

The juvenile was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening, according to Murgo.

Murgo said several other juveniles were in the residence at the time of the shooting. No other injuries were reported, according to Murgo.

The .40 caliber firearm used in the shooting was found within the residence and was determined to have been stolen out of North Carolina in 2011, Murgo said.

The juvenile was later released from the hospital and into the custody of the East Haven Police Department.

The juvenile was arrested and charged with illegal discharge of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. He was released to a guardian and was scheduled to appear in Superior Court for Juvenile Matters in New Haven on Monday, according to Murgo.