Man Accidentally Shoots Himself, Another In Parked Car In Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, CA — A man accidentally shot himself and another person in a parked truck early Thursday morning in the parking lot of the Stanford Shopping Center, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.

The men drove themselves to Stanford Hospital for treatment, claiming they were victims of an armed robbery. According to police, there was no robbery.

Police said one of the men was manipulating a handgun when it discharged. The bullet went through his hand and struck the other man in the leg. Both men, in their teens, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

No arrests were made in the incident, so the names of the men — both in their teens — were not released.

The case will be sent to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office for review, with potential charges being negligent discharge of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, false report of a crime and possession of a self-assembled firearm without a serial number.

Police said they found a bloodied, loaded handgun under the driver’s seat of the truck — a 1999 Toyota Tacoma — that didn’t have a serial number.