Child Fires Pistol Found in Couch at IKEA, Gun Owner Charged

On 27 June during a visit to a branch of the Swedish furniture store IKEA, a child found a handgun tucked down the cushion of a couch and pulled the trigger. A 6 year old child fired the gun at the IKEA store in Fishers, Indiana.

The pistol belonged to Francis T. Wright, 62, of Camby, Indiana who was visiting the store and had unknowingly lost the gun when he got up from siting on the couch. Sergeant Tom Weger, of Fishers Police Department, told The Washington Post that “as soon as he realised there was a commotion in the store, the gun-owner quickly identified himself… and fully co-operated with the investigation.”

Weger explained that Mr Wright had “sat down and somehow or another it became dislodged from this body and when he got up he didn’t realize that he was without it.” In a statement, IKEA said they apologised to the children’s family and explained that they “have processes in place to ensure that the store is safe for customers and co-workers… As soon as we were made aware of the situation, our co-workers took the action they were trained to do to ensure the safety of customers. We are cooperating with police as they investigate this incident.”

According to police reports the gun was found by two 6 year old boys when they sat on the couch. The gun was accidentally fired when one boy handed it to the other. Luckily no one was injured in the incident and the round was fired into the couch cushions.

It is unclear if Mr Wright was carrying open or concealed but he has since been charged with criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon. In a statement on the charging of Mr Wright, Sergeant Weger said: “when a person does not take their responsibility seriously there can be consequences.”

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