Salina Police Investigate Accidental Shooting Involving 16-Year-Old Early Thursday Morning

Salina Police are investigating an accidental shooting that occurred during the early morning hours of December 6. Officers were dispatched to Salina Regional Health Center around 3:00–3:30 a.m. after a 16-year-old male arrived with a gunshot wound.

According to police, the juvenile reported that the injury happened while he was handling a handgun under his left arm inside a vehicle. The firearm discharged as he reached for it, causing a superficial wound to the left armpit area. A friend who was present in the vehicle transported him to the hospital.

Officers met with the juvenile at the hospital and later searched the vehicle involved in the incident. The findings were consistent with the victim’s account, though the firearm was not recovered. The juvenile received treatment for a non-life-threatening injury and was released shortly afterward.

Police placed the 16-year-old into custody and transported him to the Juvenile Detention Center in Junction City. He faces multiple charges, including criminal use of a weapon, carrying a weapon, unlawful discharge of a firearm, liquor consumption, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia located during the search of the vehicle.

Investigators noted that the caliber of the firearm remains unknown and that multiple accounts of the incident were provided, though the primary narrative is that the gun discharged as the juvenile reached for it. The firearm had not been located at the time of the meeting. Salina Police are asking anyone who finds a discarded firearm to contact authorities immediately.