Teen Faces Weapons Charges After Accidentally Shooting Himself in the Thigh: Elmhurst Cops

A Chicago teen was has been charged with weapons offenses following an accidental shooting in Elmhurst on Sunday night, police said.

Mickiel J. Smith, 18, was reportedly visiting a friend in Elmhurst and was parked in a car when a gun he was holding discharged, leaving him with a bullet wound in the thigh, Elmhurst police announced in a release. The shooting took place at 10 p.m. Feb. 12 in the 200 bock of Clinton Avenue.

Smith was transported to the emergency room at Gottleib Hospital in Melrose Park on Sunday night and was treated for the gunshot wound, according to the release.

Police said they recovered the gun Smith had been holding, and that they discovered it was reported stolen out of Hillside. The firearm is believed to have been stolen during a residential burglary.

After he was released from the hospital, Smith was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and having the gun without a Firearm Owners Identification card. He was released on bond.

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