Off-duty officer accidentally fires gun in Sonora theater

SONORA -- A sergeant with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation accidentally shot his gun inside a theater in Sonora over the weekend, police said.

According to a news release, officers were called to Regal 10 Cinemas on Sanguinetti Road at 4:47 p.m. Friday. They contacted the off-duty sergeant, whose name was not released.

He was adjusting his concealed holster while walking up an aisle in a theater when the incident occurred. Somehow, police said, he managed to disengage the back strap safety of the holster and pull the trigger. The discharged round went through an armrest on a theater seat and came to rest on the floor of the theater.

Investigators believed no one was hurt, but several hours later, a person contacted the management of the theater and claimed to have been struck by bullet fragments. Police said the alleged victim had not contacted authorities, so the extent of that person's injuries, if any, was not clear.

Police Chief Mark Stinson said Monday that investigators were trying to get in touch with the person who claimed to have been hit.

"We've got a name, now we've got to track them down," he said.