On Thursday, August 29th, at approximately 4:45 pm., Officer Samantha Seay of the Crossville Police Department responded to Weigel’s about an intoxicated male who had accidentally shot himself in the crotch.

She made contact with the male, identified as Mr. Damian Vaughn, lying on the ground next to a gray Chevrolet Malibu at pump 12, his shorts drenched in blood at the crotch. Vaughn said he had been driving from Pleasant Hill after having consumed five beers. He was appendix carrying his gun, which means he had his gun holstered in the front of his belt, and tried to pull it out while driving. That is when the gun went off, passing through the top of his testicles and continuing through the bottom.

After accidentally shooting himself, Vaughn claims he threw the gun out the window and didn’t know where it was. Officer Seay narrowed down the distance to be on Sparta Highway.

Fire and EMS arrived on the scene to assist in checking Vaughn’s wounds and later transport him to Cumberland Medical Center for medical care. The official police report describes his testicles were swollen larger than a softball, and deep purple to the point they were almost black.

Due to the extent of his injury, Vaughn would be flown out of CMC, bypassing a search warrant for a blood test. Hospital staff would draw blood from Vaughn.

Inspection of the vehicle led to the discovery of multiple empty cans of beer, as well as a cold can in the cup holder. Also found was a Taurus G3C 9MM pistol in the passenger floorboard with 10 rounds in the magazine, as well as one spent 9MM casing in the driver’s floorboard.

Two vials of blood were placed into cold evidence, and Lantana Motors towed Vaughn’s Malibu from the scene.

Seay would write warrants on Vaughn for DUI, reckless endangerment, and possession of a handgun while intoxicated.