A man was transported to the hospital after he accidentally shot himself in the hand as he prepared to clean his gun inside his home in Highland Park.
The Highland Park Fire Department and Highland Park Police Department responded around 9:12 a.m. on December 28 to the 600 block of Kincaid Street in Highland Park for a report of a person shot.
A 911 caller reported a man was cleaning a gun and the gun discharged, striking him in the hand, according to emergency radio traffic.
Officers arrived and ensured the scene was secure before paramedics moved up to the home to transport the victim to the hospital.
Highland Park Communications Manager Amanda Bennett refused to release information on the incident on December 30 in a request from Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
“… due to various privacy laws, the City cannot provide additional information on this incident,” Bennett said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner obtained police and fire department reports through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Thursday.
A police report said officers arrived and found a man who was suffering a gunshot wound to his hand while handling his gun.
He told officers he was preparing to clean his Glock 42 handgun in his bedroom.
The man was cleaning the gun in preparation for going to the gun range in Lake Forest later that morning to practice with a relative, the report said.
The victim said he removed the magazine and began to remove the slide when the firearm discharged, striking him in the left palm.
The report said the bullet exited the top of his hand. He immediately told his wife to call the fire department.
The wife told officers she was downstairs when she heard a loud noise from their bedroom and was advised by her husband that his gun had gone off and he was injured, the report said.
She began to render aid until the fire department arrived. The gun and casing were found in a laundry basket in the master bedroom closet.
The six-round magazine was found on the bedroom floor. The report did not indicate any suspicious circumstances surrounding the shooting.