Two injured in shotgun accident
BROWNSVILLE – State police said two Brownsville residents suffered gunshot wounds from an apparent accidental shooting inside a car in Brownsville early Tuesday. Police said Randy Painter, 21, and Patricia Christner, 19, each suffered wounds from a single shotgun blast following the incident on Fifth Avenue around 12:35 a.m.
According to Trooper Brian Burden, Painter and Christner were inside a parked car and were allegedly attempting to get out of the vehicle when the gun, which was somewhere inside the car, went off.
Painter suffered injuries to his right arm and Christner suffered injuries to her right hip, police said.
Painter and Christner were flown by medical helicopter to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh with moderate injuries.
An update on their conditions was not available Tuesday evening.
Burden said it was not clear why the couple had a loaded gun inside the car or how the gun ended up discharging.
He said police are continuing to conduct interviews and analyze evidence in an effort to rule out any criminal activity and noted that both Painter and Christner said the shooting was an accident.