The man shot in the leg by an off-duty FBI agent whose gun fired as he did a backflip on the dance floor of a Colorado nightclub said he initially thought ‘some idiot’ set off a firecracker until he saw himself covered in blood.
Thomas Reddington, 24, was sitting down at a table inside the Mile High Spirits Tasting Room in Denver on Saturday when he was injured in the bizarre incident.
Cellphone footage captured the moment the agent, since identified as 29-year-old Chase Bishop, dropped the gun as he backflipped in front of the crowd.
It fired when Bishop leaned forward to hastily pick it back up.
Thomas Reddington, 24, was sitting down at a table inside the Mile High Spirits Tasting Room in Denver on Saturday when he was shot by an off-duty FBI agent whose gun fired when he dropped it
Reddington, who is now recovering at home from his gunshot wound, told Good Morning America that he had watched the footage a number of times and was still confused by how it managed to occur.
‘We sat down at one of those picnic tables, I heard a loud bang and I thought some idiot set off a firecracker,’ he said in his first interview.
‘Then I looked down at my leg and see some brown residue. I’m still thinking it’s a firework… all of a sudden from the knee down my leg became completely red. And that’s when it clicked in my head, ‘Oh, I’ve been shot’.
‘I like stand up and like start walking in a little circle saying, ‘Hey, I think I’ve been shot. Can someone call 911?’.’
The bullet struck Reddington just below his left knee and tore through his leg.
Bullet struck Reddington just below his left knee and tore through his leg. He is now recovering at home after undergoing treatment in hospital
Footage of the ordeal showed the FBI agent’s gun falling from his waistband as he did a backflip in front of a crowd at the Denver club late Saturday night. The gun fired (above) when the agent went to quickly pick it back up
Reddington said he blacked out and woke to find a someone using a belt to put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding (above). He said he lost a lot of blood in the aftermath
He said he blacked out and woke to find a someone using a belt to put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding.
Reddington said he lost a lot of blood and that he ‘soaked through several blankets, several towels, a few gauze pads’.
The agent was taken to police headquarters for questioning and then released to an FBI supervisor.
Denver Police said Monday they were awaiting lab results to see if alcohol was a factor.
Prosecutors will determine whether the agent will face any charges as a result of the shooting.
Reddington, who has hired a lawyer, said he just wanted a private conversation with the agent to clear the air.
‘I don’t blame the guy. I don’t want to ruin his life. I just want a private phone call from this guy,’ he said.
‘I just want to heal… I just want to be able to walk.’
The gun fired (pictured above) when the agent went to quickly pick it back up and it shot another clubgoer in the lower leg
The gun fired after the agent did the backflip and then went to pick it up and holster it
The incident unfolded at the Mile High Spirits Distillery and Tasting Bar in Denver