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.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
