A Hunterdon County man was charged after his gun went off inside a Morris County pizza shop and the bullet hit an 89-year-old woman, authorities said.
William H. Schmieding, 70, of Whitehouse Station, was charged with one count of second-degree aggravated assault, one count of fourth-degree aggravated assault, and weapons offenses including violating safe carry firearm requirements and prohibited carrying of a firearm, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
The incident took place Monday in a pizza shop on Route 206 in the Flanders section of Mount Olive, where police responded to a report of a gunshot and one person injured, officials said.
Officers found an 89-year-old woman with an apparent gunshot wound to the leg and transported her to an area hospital, where she is in stable condition, officials said.
Authorities discovered that Schmieding was eating at the restaurant with two friends when he removed the gun from its holster and “racked” the gun to try and clear it, which resulted in the gun firing one round, according to charging documents.
The bullet fired toward the floor, ricocheted off a chair and hit the woman, according to charging documents.
Schmieding has a handgun carry permit, according to officials, and he is being held in the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a court appearance.
Schmieding did not have an attorney listed in court records Tuesday.
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