MSU Red Cedar Message Board

A Southfield man is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the penis as he adjusted his gun, according to police.

The 45-year-old heating and air-conditioning company employee was on a job in Birmingham on Tuesday when the incident took place, Birmingham Police Deputy Chief Mark Clemence said today. He was getting ready to work and was moving the .40-caliber Glock pistol in his pants when it discharged at 11:15 a.m.

"Through and through, if you can believe it," Clemence said. "The situation could have been a lot worse. You think about it -- your femoral artery runs down there. He could have shot it off. It could have been a lot worse. It’s a big bullet; you’re not talking a small bullet."

A coworker on the job on the 300 block of Wimbleton saw the accident and drove the man to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Clemence said today he did not know if the man has been released.

Although he had a permit to carry the gun, he may face charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, Clemence said. The city's prosecutor is expected to review the case, he added.