Woman Seriously Injured After Downstairs Neighbor Accidentally Fired Gun Through Ceiling By Charlotte Phillipp

A Connecticut woman was seriously injured after her downstairs neighbor accidentally fired his gun, shooting her through his ceiling.

According to police in the town of Groton, dispatchers received several 911 calls reporting a gunshot at an apartment complex at around 10:50 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 14.

One of the callers was 30-year-old Caleb Bean, who reported that he had accidentally “accidentally discharged his firearm while attempting to cycle the action of his rifle,” police said.

Bean also told authorities that the bullet had hit a woman in the apartment right above his, and officers who arrived at the scene said she had been shot in the leg.

“[Two] neighbors, as well as the victim’s boyfriend, were attempting to treat the victim with a makeshift tourniquet while talking with her to keep her awake and focused,” police said, noting that the woman — whose identity has not been made public — had a “significant amount of blood loss.”

According to an arrest warrant obtained by WFSB, Bean told one witness, “I’m the one who did this. What can I do to help?”

Officers used tourniquets to try and stem the bleeding, and emergency personnel eventually arrived and transported the woman to a local hospital, where she underwent surgery “due to her life-threatening injuries.” She is currently in intensive care, police said.

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Investigators found an AR-15-style rifle at the scene, and Bean was arrested soon after. Police said Bean was charged with two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of third-degree criminal mischief, first-degree assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm and second-degree breach of peace.

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Bean was originally held on a $250,000 cash or surety bond, according to police. A judge reduced his bond to $15,000, court records show.

Speaking with WFSB, Robert Guest of Eastern Connecticut Firearms Safety said that the best way to stay safe when handling guns is to keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot, and to assume all guns are loaded.

“Always point your gun in a safe direction,” Guest told the outlet. “And absolutely, if you know the environment you’re in and there’s just the possibility of someone being above you, up is probably not the safest direction.”

“These things are as safe as the user,” he added. “This is the importance of getting quality training. This is a one-in-a-million chance. It’s like playing the lottery. Not so much just the firearm discharging accidentally, but just the whole scenario playing out perfectly.”