Niles police investigating report of Youngstown man accidentally shooting himself

Niles police are investigating an apparent accidental shooting late Sunday, March 3 at the intersection of Niles Cortland Road and Youngstown Warren Road.

Officers arrived about 10:40 p.m. and found a 21-year-old Youngstown man who told officers he was shot in his left upper thigh while sitting in his car. The man told police and paramedics he had shot himself by accident and was given First Aid by bystanders.

The witnesses told officers the man got out of his vehicle while he was stopped at the intersection. The police report stated witnesses told officers the man had told them he had shot himself, and he needed help. The witnesses called 911 and applied pressure to the wound, the report stated. They told police no one else was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.

What did police find in the car?

Officers recovered a firearm, identified as a Taurus G2C 9mm, from the vehicle with one 9 mm shell casing. They later found the bullet in the driver’s seat as the wound was a through-and-through, the report states.

The victim was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where officers instructed emergency room attendants to conduct a gunshot residue test on the victim.