A Bloomington man accidentally shot himself in the leg Monday afternoon outside the Monroe County Humane Association, but staff members quickly responded to help.
Veterinary Technician TJ Pickett was first to the scene and provided first aid to the 64-year-old, who the police have not named.
“This individual was actually pretty lucky that this happened in a medical facility parking lot, even though it was for veterinary care, because nobody really delegated anything,” said Andrew Krebbs, executive director of the Humane Association. “Our front team just responded immediately as soon as we knew about the incident.”
Krebbs said Pickett found the necessary equipment to apply a tourniquet. Meanwhile, Madalyn Barnett, a veterinary administrative staffer, called emergency services.
Krebbs said the team’s veterinary training helped respond to the incident, both medically and mentally. He said the team responded in the same way it would if someone came in with a pet that had an eye infection.
“I'm really proud of MCHA’s team and how fast they responded to the situation,” Krebbs said. “It was so unique, you know, they still were very calm and collected.”
Krebbs said everything is back to normal today and everyone is doing fine.
“It was a very unique Monday for us,” Krebbs said. “We don't see much of that, but everyone's doing great, and we're really glad that the individual is going to be okay, and we're glad that nobody else was injured.”
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the gunshot wound happened when the man’s revolver went off while he was getting out of his car. According to police, the incident was accidental and self-inflicted. The man’s injuries were non-life threatening.