Man Accidentally Fires Gun In Walmart Bathroom: Arizona Man Andrew Seals Could Face Endangerment Charge

Somebody had an accident.

An Arizona man using a Walmart bathroom over the weekend gave shoppers the shock of their lives when his gun inadvertently discharged as he sat down to use the toilet.

Andrew Seals, 24, entered the store restroom around 1 p.m. on Sunday, KPHO reports. As pulled down his trousers, Seals' Ruger .357 caliber revolver fell out of it's holster, hit the ground and inadvertently fired.

"The bullet went through the stall door, hit a wall, ricocheted into a light on the ceiling, then struck the floor about 5 feet from another man who was standing at a urinal," according to The Republic.

Officers declined to arrest Seals, but say they will ask prosecutors to charge him with reckless endangerment.

Police were already at the store addressing a shoplifting incident when an employee notified them of the gunshot.

Reports did not mention any injuries.

Comments

[Astarte38]

06:19 PM on 02/23/2012

That is ridiculous, he should have been arrested and he shouldn't even be able to own a firearm if he is that irresponsible.

[wolflover3825]

10:21 AM on 02/23/2012

Glad no one was hurt.

From what I understand from other postings, this was an older Ruger SAA before they went to the transfer bar safety system. And with that information, this story actaully could happen just like it says in the article.

The charges the police want could be realistic because Ruger offers to update all older models to the transfer bar system for free. They will even ship back all the original parts with the gun as to return it to the original condition if wanted. The resource was there to have it done, but neglected to take advantage of it.

[sunflwer1975]

11:41 PM on 02/22/2012

thisn is what happens when you relax gun laws...

[sloop uk]

09:59 AM on 02/23/2012

...and your sphincter.

[ConservativebyNature]

12:28 PM on 02/23/2012

No, this is what happens when you have a firearm that has a problem with firing if you drop it. It has nothing to do with gun laws regardless of what you say.

[odaat52]

11:40 PM on 02/22/2012

Ah yes, THAT's why we need more and more people carrying weapons everywhere they go.

[ByThePowerOfGrayskull]

12:50 PM on 02/23/2012

The great city of Chicago is proof that an all-out ban on firearms does not eliminate the potential dangers either.

[cdnman]

11:24 PM on 02/22/2012

Oh well, just another Walmartian, eh?

[Hardy Blacklord]

05:31 PM on 02/22/2012

Walmart and Arizona, that says it all.

[wolflover3825]

09:17 AM on 02/25/2012

And so does your picture. Of you that is.

[KKS278]

03:20 PM on 02/22/2012

I wanna know why this guy thought it was necessary to have a gun inside Walmart! What a dummy!

[ConservativebyNature]

12:31 PM on 02/23/2012

He was probably carrying it for self-defense and that would include inside Walmart. It's a fairly common thing to do. You know, put on your sidearm, leave the house, run errands, come home, take off sidearm, etc.

[SoulOfDespair]

12:31 PM on 02/22/2012

That's funny. Imagine the guy peeing... Jumping and be like "WOAH, what the eff just happened!?" Peeing all over the place !

[wolflover3825]

10:28 AM on 02/23/2012

I think that they would be clamping their hands over their ears. The echo from the shot report could deafen you. There'll be ringing tonight for sure.

[SteveC 1979]

01:03 PM on 02/23/2012

That is one of the first thing I thought, too. Especially in an enclosed space like that.

[AllegroTroppo]

09:12 AM on 02/22/2012

Was he dumpin' using the Weaver stance

[kushman513]

11:11 AM on 02/22/2012

LMFAO

[AllegroTroppo]

09:10 AM on 02/22/2012

That musta been some wide.stance

[AllegroTroppo]

09:10 AM on 02/22/2012

there's one way to cause extreme sphin-ct-er contraction.

[Pete Geller]

09:02 AM on 02/22/2012

Ruger revolvers are inherently safe. The only way this firearm would "go off" is if his finger was on the trigger. He just doesn't want to admit he was playing with his gun on the potty....I hope part of his sentence is that he can't own firearms for quite some time. I'm not sure if reckless endangerment is a felony but I sure hope so!

[Irish georgia peach]

09:12 AM on 02/22/2012

I agree Pete. I use a 9mil Ruger. Although mine is a semi not a revolver I have owned one that was a revolver. Both are safe, dependable hand guns. The only way either of mine has ever "gone off" is when I take the safety off and pull the trigger! That was a silly story.

[Pete Geller]

10:06 AM on 02/22/2012

It makes responsible firearm owners look bad when people lie about negligent discharges. That being said I certainly don't consider the subject in this story to be responsible but I don't expect a writer to do research when he can inadvertently blame the firearm. Stay safe!

[RobD407]

10:10 PM on 02/22/2012

The linked news story from KPHO describes the gun as antique. If it was maunfactured pre 1974 it might not have the transfer bar, this is why Ruger does them for free.

[Pete Geller]

10:32 PM on 02/22/2012

That makes more sense. Thanks for the update! I didn't think of that or consider that he might be carrying a single action! Still a negligent discharge, if you're going to carry an old firearm either keep it secure or keep an empty chamber under the hammer! Good thing no one was hurt anyway. Take care.

[wolflover3825]

10:05 AM on 02/23/2012

That sourse is not describing the gun correctly. It's not antique. Old yes, but not antique. Antique would be about 100 years for a gun I believe.

But be that as it may, it's sounds right. The transfer bar system can't do that. That's why Ruger switched it that system.

[Helen Greenfeld]

08:30 AM on 02/22/2012

Thank goodness, no one was hurt.

[Helen Greenfeld]

08:30 AM on 02/22/2012

Only at Walmart. What a gas :)

[ydnas639]

07:55 AM on 02/22/2012

I hope Mr. Seals kept the little boy's room at the Wal-Mart safe from the commies. He should win an award – the Darwin Award.