A Roan Mountain teenager was hospitalized after police say he accidentally shot himself in his home Tuesday.
Around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, staff at Sycamore Shoals Hospital called 911 to report a child had been brought to the emergency room with a gunshot wound.
When officers of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the hospital, they spoke with the child’s mother, April Lacy, who told them her 13-year-old son was in his brother’s bedroom in their Roan Mountain home when he found a small .38-caliber revolver. The child is the younger brother of Anthony Lacy, who is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Danny Vance and attempted first-degree murder charge for an alleged attack on a corrections officer at the Carter County Detention Center.
The teenager told police he thought the gun was a toy, but when he pulled the trigger the gun fired and a bullet struck him in the right calf.
“Mrs. Lacy advised she drove her son to the emergency room, where medical staff alerted 911,” CCSD Deputy Paul Morrell said.
After receiving initial care at Sycamore Shoals Hospital, the teenager was taken to the Johnson City Medical Center for further care in the pediatric emergency room.