A North Florida man was injured and treated for a gunshot wound after police said he accidentally shot himself while putting away a firearm prior to an interview at an elementary school.
Travis Anthony Holland, 28, was interviewing for a custodial position at a Panama City-area elementary school on Friday at 12:30 p.m. when he accidentally discharged his weapon while in his vehicle and sustained a wound in his leg, the Panama City News Herald reports.
According to police, Holland, who works as a part-time detention officer, was seated in his truck and was refilling his revolver with a new round when the gun fired into his left thigh while he was placing it into a compartment. Police said the job Holland was interviewing for did not require the possession of a firearm.
WJHG reports the school's principal, Darnita Rivers, said the gunshot could not be heard in the school. "School safety is a No. 1 issue because of so many things that happen," she said. "The first responders were here right on the spot and I assume or I've been told that he actually contacted EMS himself. There was no hearing of a gunshot, nothing at all and I'm just really grateful that it did not have anything to do with anyone here."
Police said they do not believe Holland had any intention to harm anyone and he was exempt from the state law banning guns on school campuses since he is a law enforcement officer. The News Herald reports no criminal charges are expected and the case is still being investigated.
Read more at the Panama City News Herald and WJHG.
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