A man who was shot twice in the left thigh told police he was unloading his gun while parked at a Longhorn Steakhouse in Dawson County.

The accident happened Monday afternoon at the restaurant on Ga. 400 in Dawsonville, according to a report obtained Thursday from the sheriff’s office.

In the report, 21-year-old Michael Gilbert and his mother, Diana Cleghorn, were in the car and Gilbert decided to unload his older-model, .32 semi-automatic pistol.

“He accidentally fired the weapon several times,” a deputy wrote in the report.

Two rounds hit Gilbert’s left thigh, while additional rounds struck the car door.

A preliminary investigation showed that Gilbert’s statements to police were consistent with the evidence and no charges have been filed, but the case is not closed.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A bus waits to move over 20 unhoused persons from the Old Wheat Street encampment to the Welcome House, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC