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Restaurant worker finds gun and accidentally fires it, injuring himself and two customers: ‘Silliest thing I’ve seen in quite some time’

A 56-year-old employee at Al's Fresh Fish & Chicken in Detroit accidentally discharged a gun he had found, striking himself and two customers.

A 56-year-old employee at the Al's Fresh Fish & Chicken on Russell Street in Detroit accidentally discharged a gun he had found on Wednesday.
A 56-year-old employee at the Al's Fresh Fish & Chicken on Russell Street in Detroit accidentally discharged a gun he had found on Wednesday. (Instagram/@ alsfreshfish)

An employee at Al's Fresh Fish & Chicken in Detroit accidentally shot himself and two customers after finding and mishandling a gun inside the eatery.

Police responded to the Russell Street carry-out only restaurant around 1 p.m. Wednesday after the employee, 56, reportedly found a gun that accidentally fired while he was handling it.

It is unclear exactly where and how the man found the gun.

A bullet struck the employee’s hand, went through a doorway, and hit two customers, ages 33 and 46. One was hit in the arm, while another suffered a graze wound.

One person was hospitalized, while the other two were treated at the scene. All injuries were non-life-threatening.

The incident was the ‘silliest thing’ local law enforcement had seen in some time
The incident was the ‘silliest thing’ local law enforcement had seen in some time (Instagram/@ alsfreshfish)

In a press conference, DPD Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald called the incident the “craziest, silliest thing I've seen in quite some time.”

“Bottom line is if you don’t know how to handle a weapon, don’t handle a weapon because now we've got two individuals who were just in the store trying to buy stuff, and now they’re going to deal with a gunshot wound. No matter how minor it is, it’s still a gunshot wound,” he added.

The incident is under investigation, and findings will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review.

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