TELLICO PLAINS, TN (WVLT/CNN) - Two people are recovering after an accidental shooting at a church on Thursday.
Tellico Plains Police and Monroe County Sheriff's car all responded to a shots fired call First United Methodist Church.
They determined a couple had been shot during an accidental discharge of a gun during what the pastor said was a community luncheon inside the fellowship hall.
Police said 81-year-old Wayne Reid was showing people his unloaded handgun, then reloaded it and put in his pocket when someone else asked to see it during an informal discussion about using guns to protect church congregations.
"And as he pulls it out, he has it in his lap area, pulls the holster off of it, lays the holster on the table and reaches back down as if he's going to unload the magazine, and it discharges," Chief Russ Parks said.
Police said the bullet grazed Wayne Reid's 80-year-old wife Kathy in the stomach, then hit her arm.
Her son said she's recovering from a broken arm, and Wayne Reid is coming home from the hospital with an injured hand.
The community rallied around the couple, saying they don't want to politicize what happened, that it was just an accident.
"My biggest thing as far as gun safety is if you're going to be around a gun like that, make sure you keep your finger off the trigger," Parks said.
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