Man Dies After Shooting Himself in the Groin While Attempting U-Turn—Police

A Charleston man fatally shot himself in the groin while attempting a U-turn in his car, according to police in South Carolina.

Ahmad Gardner, 35, was driving east on Rivers Avenue, near Mall Drive in Charleston, on Tuesday morning when the incident occurred.

An eyewitness told police that Gardner was trying to make a U-turn to travel west on Rivers Avenue but did not complete the maneuver, according to Fox Carolina.

The vehicle ploughed through a parking lot at Rivers Avenue and Dalton Street, and struck an unoccupied car, the network reported.

North Charleston Police were alerted at about 6:20 a.m. and found Gardner with a wound in his groin that was consistent with a gunshot injury.

The 35-year-old died at the scene.

Harve Jacobs, a spokesperson for North Charleston Police Department, told Fox Carolina: "After reviewing all the facts and evidence, in this case, it was determined that the victim had an accidental firearm discharge while driving the vehicle which culminated in the victim's death."

Officers closed off a portion of Rivers Avenue for about an hour on Tuesday to carry out an investigation.

The Charleston County Coroner's Office released Gardner's name later that day, according to the network.

The Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings across the country, states that there have been 16 self-inflicted shootings in South Carolina this year. These are incidents of unintentional discharge of a firearm, excluding suicides, suicide attempts and cases where a perpetrator was present.

The incident on Tuesday is the first fatal self-inflicted shooting in South Carolina this year. In 2021 there were 18 self-inflicted shootings in the state, including two deaths.

Newsweek has contacted the North Charleston Police Department and the Charleston County Coroner's Office for comment.

In March, a man in Ohio was accidentally shot in the mouth while he was showing his girlfriend how to use a firearm.

Christopher Antron Scott Jr., 30, was injured at the Toledo home he shared with Anna Sigarroa, 35.

A police report stated Sigarroa wanted Scott Jr. to put the gun away as she claimed he was not allowed to be near one because of a prior felony conviction.

Scott Jr. refused and a struggle ensued when Sigarroa tried to take back the gun. The firearm went off and Scott Jr. was shot in the mouth. He drove himself to a nearby hospital.

Sigarroa was arrested on March 4 on a felonious assault weapon or ordnance charge, according to police in Toledo.