RICHLAND TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A woman hit by fragments after a man’s gun discharged inside a local Giant Eagle last week said she could have been killed in the freak accident.
Ruth Preisser told Channel 11 she was at the bakery of the Richland Township Giant Eagle last Friday when she was hit by a fragment after a man’s gun fell out of his fanny pack and discharged.
“It sounded like a bomb went off, and I felt something hit the left calf of my leg,” said Preisser. “When I turned around to look, I saw a fella picking up his gun off the floor and putting it in his fanny pack.”
According to police, Gerry Good, 58, was carrying a loaded handgun in his fanny pack when it accidentally went off into the ground, causing fragments to strike Preisser and another customer.
“He said, ‘I'm sorry, sorry. (I) don't know what happened,’” said Preisser.
Preisser said she and the other victim were not seriously hurt and were both treated by medics at the scene.
“They were saying if it hit me in a vein in my leg, I could've bled to death,” she said.
Preisser, who carries a gun herself, said she usually leaves hers in the car to be safe but has no hard feelings about what happened.
“Accidents can happen, but I feel bad for him,” she said.
Preisser said she’s just glad the incident ended up being a story she could walk away from to tell.
In fact, Preisser told Channel 11 that once it was all over, she asked police for a report so that she could back up the unbelievable story.
Good was arrested and charged with two simple assault charges and two reckless assault charges.
PREVIOUS STORY: