PITTSTON — A 15-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the hand with a pistol early Tuesday morning.
Police said the boy had gone out back of a garage at a residence on State Route 27 in Pittston, wearing a coat that belonged to his grandfather. Inside the coat, according to a news release from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, was a two-shot Derringer pistol.
Police said the boy tried to pull the hammer back on the pistol and his thumb slipped off, releasing the hammer and causing the firing pin to strike a .410-gauge shotgun shell and firing the loaded weapon.
The boy, whose name police have not released, shot himself and injured his hand. He was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta.
Police inspected the pistol and found there was an empty .410-gauge shotgun shell and one Colt .45 bullet still loaded in the chamber.
Police said they do not expect to file charges in the incident.
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