Florida man was adjusting his holstered gun inside a Walmart. Then the gun went off and got worse than it already sounded

Sarasota County deputies responded to a Walmart in Venice, Florida, last Thursday after receiving reports of a loud popping sound and a trail of blood near the bathroom area, according to Tampa Bay 28. The store was reportedly evacuated and cleared by deputies, but no one was found inside at the time.

Surveillance footage from the store reportedly showed a white male entering the building with a gun holstered in the waistband of his shorts. The footage also appeared to show the gun discharging while the man was attempting to adjust it in the holster.

According to deputies, the bullet appeared to strike the man in the leg and groin area. As reported by Fox News, the man had already left the store by the time deputies arrived, reportedly to seek medical care.

Man was later located at a nearby hospital campus after leaving the scene

The man was found a short time later at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital campus in Venice, reports Tampa Bay 28. The full extent of his injuries was not apparently confirmed by officials at the time of the report. 

Deputies had reportedly found no person of interest inside the store after clearing it following the incident. The trail of blood near the bathroom area was among the first signs that someone had been injured, according to the report. Walmart locations have previously been the setting for other serious incidents, including a suspected murder that sparked a true crime investigation.

The surveillance video was reportedly reviewed after deputies found no one on the premises, and it was through that footage that the sequence of events became clearer. The footage reportedly showed the man entering the store with a holstered firearm in the waistband of his shorts before the accidental discharge occurred. In a separate Walmart incident, an alleged shoplifter who pulled a gun during a confrontation was stopped by a store employee.

It was not reported whether the man would face any charges in connection with the incident, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies had not apparently publicly confirmed the man’s identity or released further details about his condition as of the time of the report

The incident reportedly occurred at a Walmart location in Venice, Florida, which is in Sarasota County. Deputies were called to the scene following reports from inside the store about what witnesses described as a popping sound and a trail of blood near the bathroom area.