5 hurt in shootings at US gun shows

This Nov. 29, 2011 file photo shows a bullet hole in a window of a car at a liquor store parking lot in Oakland, Calif., after a shooting. A hail of gunfire along the Oakland street left eight people wounded, including a 1-year-old boy. In the wake of the Dec. 14, 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the small town of Newtown, Conn., there is now much political discussion about gun control. For urban advocates, this new emphasis on gun control is long overdue. AP/Paul Sakuma, File

Authorities say five people have been wounded by gunfire at three separate gun shows around the United States.

Three people were injured Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show, a quarterly event that usually draws thousands of people. State agriculture department spokesman Brian Long says a 12-gauge shotgun discharged as its owner unzipped its case for a law enforcement officer to check at a security entrance.

Two bystanders were hit by shotgun pellets and taken to a hospital. A retired deputy sheriff suffered a slight hand injury.

Long says the shotgun’s owner, 36-year-old Gary Lynn Wilson, brought the weapon to the show to find a private buyer. Sheriff Donnie Harrison says it’s too early to know whether Wilson might be charged.

In Indiana, police say a 54-year-old Indianapolis man was injured when he accidentally shot himself while leaving a gun show.

State Police say Emory L. Cozee was loading his .45 caliber semi-automatic when he shot himself in the hand as he was leaving the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife show at the state fairgrounds. Loaded personal weapons are not allowed inside the show.

Cozee was hospitalized for treatment. Police say the shooting was accidental and no charges will be filed.

Meanwhile, authorities in Ohio say a man was wounded at a gun show in Medina when a gun dealer was checking out a semi-automatic handgun he had bought and he accidentally pulled the trigger.

Police say the gun’s magazine had been removed from the firearm but one round remained in the chamber.

Police Chief Pat Berarducci says it appears the bullet struck the floor and the man was wounded in the arm and leg. Berarducci says the man was taken by helicopter to a Cleveland hospital. His condition was not immediately known.