A routine dental appointment turned dangerous when a man grabbed his pistol and fired while under the influence of nitrous oxide.
James White, a 72-year-old man from New Carlisle, Ohio, was in the dental chair undergoing normal dental procedures when he reached down to grab his cellphone, according to the Chicago Tribune. White, still woozy from a sedation using nitrous oxide, got ahold of his gun instead and fired off a round.
The bullet hit White’s hand and grazed the left side of his stomach. White later told police officers he thought his phone was ringing and he wanted to answer it.
White was brought to a nearby hospital, but no one else was injured in the incident, local news outlets report. A 911 recording captured an employee at the New Carlisle Dental Group saying that,
We have a patient here who accidentally shot himself with a gun.
White has a permit for concealed-carry, and the dental clinic has no signs asking gun owners to remove their firearms upon entering the premises. He could, however, still be charged with using a weapon while intoxicated.
Sheriff Gene Kelly of Clark County says that formal charges are yet to be filed and that the case will proceed before the prosecutor.
Some believe that White’s actions were more stupid than criminal. Sergeant Christina Evans-Fisher of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office says that if a person knows they are entering a doctor’s office where they will be sedated, it would be best not to carry a weapon inside and consider the safety of others.
An unidentified neighbor near the clinic agreed, saying that it’s basic sense not to bring a gun where nitrous oxide will be used.
Employees at the New Carlisle Dental Group are reportedly aware that the shooting was accidental, but were considerably “shaken up” over it, NBC News reports.
