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Man crashes car after accidentally shooting himself

Posted at 7:43 PM, Apr 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-27 08:37:00-04

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A man is accused of shooting himself and then crashing his car while trying to drive to the hospital in Fort Myers. Authorities said the whole thing happened in front of an undercover officer. 

"Never a dull moment on this corner, this corner is off the chain," said the Relax Inn motel owner. 

The incident happened on the corner of First Street and Park Ave. in downtown Fort Myers. The owner of the Relax Inn didn't want to be identified by name, but said she was sipping her coffee on the pool deck just before 9 A.M. when she heard commotion just yards away on the street corner. 
 
"I guess they had kind of side swiped her vehicle," said the motel owner. 
 
It turns out a 21-year-old man was trying to drive around a woman who was sitting at a red light and instead hit her car. An undercover police officer witnessed the entire situation and had the two cars pull over. When the driver got out of the car, witnesses said they knew something didn't look right. 
 
"He had a lot of blood that was on his clothes," said the motel owner. 
 
Witnesses said they overheard the man tell police he had been shot in the leg and was driving to Lee Memorial for help. He had his left leg tied up to stop the bleeding. Once an ambulance arrived on scene the man was taken to the hospital. 
 
Fort Myers police said after they searched the car they found a revolver. Investigators believed the gun could've caused the man's gunshot wound. The man eventually admitted he wasn't randomly shot but instead accidently shot himself. 
 
The woman who was hit while in her car was able to leave the scene with just some minor damage to her car.