SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah elementary school teacher who was carrying a concealed firearm accidentally shot herself in the leg when the weapon discharged in a faculty bathroom shortly before classes started Thursday morning, officials said.
The teacher at Westbrook Elementary School, in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville, was severely injured when the bullet entered and exited her leg, and she was rushed to a hospital, Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley said. She was in good condition and alert at the hospital by midmorning, he said.
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No other faculty or students witnessed the shooting, but they might have heard the gunshot or seen the teacher as she was taken out of the school to the hospital, he said.
Classes were continuing as usual, and crisis counselors were available, Horsley said.
Officials were still investigating how the gun discharged. “This just appears at this point in time to be an accident,” he said.
He wouldn’t release details about the woman or what she taught, but he noted she was carrying the weapon legally with a concealed-firearm permit.
Utah is among the few states that allow people with concealed-weapons permits to carry guns in public schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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