Man Hospitalized Following Accidental Shooting, Police Say

A man was rushed to Hartford Hospital after being shot in the neck in Meriden Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Meriden police news release, officers responded to 14 Maple Branch, second floor, at 4:29 p.m. on Tuesday after getting a 911 call indicating that a man had been shot in the apartment.

Police said a group of people were hanging out in the apartment playing videogames and a shotgun, which the group thought was unloaded, was sitting nearby. One of the men was handling the shotgun and that the weapon discharged, striking another man in the neck, according to a news release from Meriden Sgt. Darrin McKay.

The name and ages of both the victim and the man who discharged the gun are not being released at this time. Police also declined to state who else was in the apartment, pending the investigation.

After officers got to the scene, the shooting victim was rushed to Midstate Medical Center and eventually airlifted via a LifeStar helicopter to Hartford Hospital. At the time of the news release, police said the medical condition of the victim is unknown.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and Meriden detectives will be following up with everyone involved in order to determine the series of events that led up to the discharge of the shotgun.

Police also said no additional details will be released Tuesday evening.