Flathead County officials say a Kalispell man was detained and later released after accidentally shooting a sleeping neighbor while cleaning a gun in his apartment.
Sheriff Chuck Curry tells the Daily Inter Lake that a 28-year-old woman called 911 at about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday and said she was awakened by a burning sensation to her leg. A responding deputy confirmed she had been shot.
The woman was treated at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and released.
Curry says a 22-year-old man who lives next door to the woman called hours later to report he was cleaning his rifle when the shot went through the wall.
Curry says the man was taken into custody on suspicion of criminal endangerment, but later released on the advice of the Flathead County attorney’s office. No charges have been filed.