Man Critically Injured After Shooting Himself With Gun He Thought Was Unloaded

In an apartment in Shreveport, Louisiana, a 22-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the head thinking the gun he was handling was unloaded. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and remains in critical condition. 

The man was with a woman in a bedroom and begin pointing a gun at her head. When she told him to stop, he removed the magazine stating the gun had no bullets, pointed it at his own head and pulled the trigger. 

It is a common assumption, and understandable, particularly with inexperienced gun owners, that if the magazine that holds the bullets is removed, a gun is unloaded. A magazine safety disconnect, an internal, low-tech safety device, designed over a hundred years ago, would have prevented the gun from firing even with a round in the chamber. Many guns do not include this disconnect as a standard feature. Described in the 1911 patent filing, the device was intended to “insure absolutely against the dangerous accidental firing sometimes liable to occur if the trigger is pulled after the magazine has been withdrawn, in the belief that all cartridges have been removed.” It appears that the gun in this incident lacked this safety feature.

Sources:

Joliyah Daughtry, “Man Shoots Himself After Removing Magazine, Believing Gun Was Empty, Police Say,” ksla.com (July 26, 2026).

Khalale Smith, “Man in Critical Condition After Accidental Self-inflicted Shot,” ktalnews.com (July 27, 2026).