Man Shot Self ... Without a Gun!

Posted by Alex in Crime & Law, Medicine, Weapons & War on January 13, 2009 at 2:41 pm


It’s just stupidity to shoot yourself, but it takes real talent to shoot yourself … without a gun! Here’s the bizarre story of one Howard Sheppard, 30, of Deltona, Florida who somehow shot himself in the arm without any firearms present:

Sheppard, who works at DeLand Memorial Gardens, told a nurse he picked up six rounds of ammunition and one of them discharged and struck him in the arm, Hudson said. When Sheppard said the other five rounds were in his shirt pocket, a security guard took the shirt and called police.

Sheppard initially said the ammunition was on a shelf and one of the bullets may have discharged because he threw a hammer and a string trimmer on the shelf, police said. After being pressed, he told Hudson that he secured the sixth bullet in a vise clamp, placed a metal punch into the cartridge primer and hit the punch with a hammer.

Link – via Dave Barry’s Blog


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18 comments to "Man Shot Self ... Without a Gun!"

  1. Gauldar
    January 13th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    So... what was the motive? Did he purposly try to discharge the bullet into himself to sue for negligence, or did he just want to see a big bang?

  2. Gail Pink
    January 13th, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Yeah I'm with Gaulder. He did this...why? To prove he could shoot himself without using a gun?

  3. Jake Da Snake
    January 13th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    Haven't your read the Darwin Awards? There doesn't have to be (and often isn't) a why. Idiocy. This'll be an honorable mention, to be sure.

  4. DOJ
    January 13th, 2009 at 5:01 pm

    Guns don't kill people, bullets kill people.

  5. brett
    January 13th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    This doesn't make sense. Bullets only travel forward because of the compression of gas behind them in the barrel of a gun. Without a barrel, there is no pressure and no reason for the bullet to move aside from the slight force exerted by the gases expanding in open air. Doesn't seem like that force would be anywhere near enough to injure someone.

  6. dave9
    January 13th, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    We used to hear about someone doing this in the metal shop in high school once a year or so. Usually the brass cartridge would just rupture and burns or metal shrapnel were the worst of the injuries.

  7. SenorMysterioso
    January 13th, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    Im sure he didnt shoot himself on purpose but was being stupid and trying to see if he could fire the bullet by striking it.

  8. Allison
    January 13th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

    There are other instances of this happening. Hitting the bullets like this doesn't usually cause a discharge that could injure anyone....but it can happen!!

    As to why he is doing this? Some places buy used shell casings. They can reload and resell them with less overhead. It's possible the guy got ahold of some free bullets and wanted to make a little side money.

    Or, maybe he's an idiot.

  9. anon
    January 14th, 2009 at 1:00 am

    he put the bullet in a vice, which practically turns it into a gun without a barrel, all the barrel does is give the bullet trajectory and allows you to aim, if the bullet is held stationary (like in a gun, the shell can't move backwards) then the actual bullet itself has no choice but to move forward...it would work

  10. Ashley
    January 14th, 2009 at 1:06 am

    So close to a Darwin award...

  11. padieg
    January 14th, 2009 at 7:21 am

    Wasn't Three Stooges' last name Howard?

  12. Crudely Wrott
    January 14th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    What the vise did not do is tightly enclose the cartridge which is necessary to keep the cartridge from failing and turning into shrapnel. Chances are the bullet didn't go very far or fast since the exploding gases were not focused down a barrel but expending themselves out from between the vise jaws.

    The dude probably took a piece of brass casing in the arm. Too, he may have been dumb enough to put his arm in harms way and the slow bullet did some minimal damage.

    All together now: "What an ultramaroon!"

  13. Rocky Rook
    January 15th, 2009 at 10:52 am

    What an idiot.

  14. ralphi2000
    February 24th, 2009 at 4:03 am

    Yeah i could see how the shrapnel theory would apply as weak as brass is (for metals); otherwise, the casing itself will project the bullet 'on a path.' and i'm sure it sort of still did, but far weaker; no defect or deformity upon stiking something (hard) probably...
    did the guy get struck by case fragments? or by actually forgetting where his arm was? who's to say...let's give him SOME credit as a man who tests his own half-assed theories...right after we call him !!!STUPID!!!

  15. Thorn
    June 20th, 2009 at 8:34 am

    In the words of Forest Gump "stupid as stupid does, Sir"

  16. bill dong
    October 30th, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    la la shot

  17. bill dong
    October 30th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    where did he die what time

  18. smart ass
    October 30th, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    I think he tried to kill himself on propose. idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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