NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro police are investigating the death of an 81-year-old man Monday after he accidentally shot himself in the chest while in his apartment handling a firearm.
Johnnie Thompson, 81, was spending time with a friend inside his apartment in the 100 block of Claiborne Street around 9 a.m. Monday "demonstrating the use of a Derringer pistol" when he dropped the handgun, says Metro police. The gun discharged when it hit the floor and struck him in the chest, according to the friend who was visiting Thompson.
Thompson was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Metro police say the investigation into Thompson's death remains open.
Cole is a person I think everyone should meet. After saving his sister's life, he's in a fight for his own. And yet he lives so joyfully, performing on stage and continuing to do what he loves. His family's story will both inspire you and make you reflect on your own. Click if you want to watch one of the most impressive young men in action, determined to write the lines of his own story despite the circumstances.
-Rebecca Schleicher
