A 34-year-old Poplar Bluff man is home recovering after being shot in the chest Thursday, Nov. 17, by a 25-year-old Poplar Bluff man.
The victim was transported to the hospital before being flown to a Memphis hospital where he was treated and later released.
Authorities are waiting on the blood alcohol content results from the crime lab before deciding if charges should be filed.
About 10 p.m. Thursday, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department received a call of a shooting inside Glory Days Bar & Grill, 4806 West Blvd.
Butler County Sheriff investigator Eddie Holloway said, “Once we get there, we found a victim had been shot in the chest. During the investigation, the suspect made contact with one of the officers and said he was in the bathroom, pulled a pistol out of his waistband when he was using the restroom and the gun went off.”
The shot went through the wall and hit the victim who was sitting at a table in the bar.
Holloway viewed the video taken inside the business at the time of the incident.
“He got shot and it takes him five or six seconds before even realizing he’s been shot,” Holloway said. “He realized he’d been shot and they called 911.”
On the video, Holloway watched the suspect actually come out of the bathroom and walk over to the victim but we don’t really know what was said. There didn’t seem to be any prior animosity or anything like that.”
Holloway interviewed both the victim and the suspect
“It was just a freak accident and he had his gun out in the bathroom and fired it,” Holloway said.
The suspect was brought to the sheriff’s office and a blood drawn was taken. It’s been sent to the crime lab.
“We’re waiting on the results,” Holloway said.
The investigator said, one needs to be careful when they are out with a weapon.
“I mean that could happen anywhere not just at a bar,” he said.