ABOVE: Police say a 21-year-old man was playing “Call of Duty” with a loaded AR-15 in his lap when the weapon accidentally went off, firing a round into his neighbour’s apartment.
“Call of Duty” is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, putting players in the middle of a warzone while the (digital) lead flies.
However, police in one Tennessee town say they would prefer players only fire imaginary bullets following a bizarre close call earlier this week.
“A gun… was in his lap while playing ‘Call of Duty’ and resulted in a discharge into a neighbor’s apartment,” Murfreesboro Police Sgt. Kyle Evans told WTVF News.
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That’s right. While playing the first-person-shooter video game, a man who police have identified as 21-year-old Jacob Aaron Curtis says he had a loaded AR-15 assault rifle on his lap.
At some point, though it’s not clear how, the weapon accidentally discharged and sent a round through the wall of Curtis’ home – and into the home of his 75-year-old neighbour.
“While playing the game, Mr. Curtis stated that he got into the game and the rifle accidentally went off,” Sgt. Evans said.
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The neighbour in question declined to be identified, but did speak to WTVF about her close call, and showed their crew both the remains of the bullet she found in her apartment, as well as the hole that now resides in her wall.
“Well, it was scary,” the woman said. “I found the hole in the wall. It was just dangerous.”
Luckily, police say nobody was killed or injured by the negligent discharge.
Police say the AR-15 assault rifle was legally owned by Curtis. He has since been charged with one count of misdemeanor reckless endangerment, with police stressing that this close call should serve as a lesson about responsibly handling firearms.
“[A misfired round] has potential for devastating consequences,” Sgt. Evans said.