Ten people were hurt Tuesday night when a gun show worker fired a
shotgun into the floor, thinking the weapon had been loaded with dummy
ammunition. According to Elgin, Illinois Courier-News, the gun was
accidentally fired during a gun show at the St. Charles Sportsman’s
Club, the area Country Club.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Department reported to the Courier that
officers responded to the club, located in Blackberry township, after
reports of gunfire.

Seven people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. Three men,
ages 81, 60 and 14 were transported by ambulance to a local hospital
for treatment.

A 69-year-old St. Charles man was reportedly handling the shotgun when
it went off. The man believed he had placed a “snap cap” in the
barrel, a device used to protect the gun’s firing pin when it is in
storage. Pointing the barrel of the gun at the floor, the man pulled
the trigger, only realizing that he had placed a live shell into the
weapon’s chamber when the gun went off, spraying lead shot into the
floor, which ricocheted upward, injuring bystanders and the shooter.

Police, sheriff and fire units rushed to the scene, but fortunately,
none of the injuries suffered are believed to be life-threatening.