Shot fired at Lockport's Christmas cottage

Local News

Related Photos

Photos by Adam Hudson/CONTRIBUTOR OUTSIDE THE BOX: Santa meets with kids outside his Christmas cottage at Day Road Park in the Town of Lockport Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the day, a gun had been accidentally discharged inside the cottage, according to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office. --
Photos by Adam Hudson/CONTRIBUTOR ON GUARD: A Niagara County Sheriff's Office vehicle is parked outside the Santa Claus Christmas Cottage at Day Road Park in the Town of Lockport Saturday afternoon following an incident earlier in the day where a Middleport man's gun was accidentally discharged inside the cottage. --

December 22, 2012

Shot fired at Lockport's Christmas cottage

Middleport man's gun goes off accidentally at Day Road Park

STAFF REPORTS Lockport Union-Sun & Journal The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sat Dec 22, 2012, 11:04 PM EST

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal —

TOWN OF LOCKPORT — A Middleport man caused a scare Saturday afternoon after a gun he was carrying went off at a Christmas event.

While the gunshot fired at the Santa Claus Christmas Cottage at Day Road Park caused alarm and damage to Santa's cottage, there were no injuries.

And by Niagara County Sheriff's Office accounts, the incident appeared to be an accident.

According to reports from the sheriff's office, the 30-year-old Middleport man's gun accidentally discharged inside of Santa's workshop shortly after noon, causing damage to the building. The man then fled the area in his car.

There were about a dozen people inside the cottage, located at Day Road Park on the corner of East High Street and Day Road. They fled the building when the gun went off.

One of the people at the Christmas Cottage wrote down the plate number to the suspect's car as he was leaving and called police, who used the plate number to get his address and subsequently his cell phone number.

Upon calling the phone, "(The suspect) told patrol he had just dropped off his family at home and was in route to the Middleport Police Station to report an accidental discharge from his firearm inside of Santa's workshop," according the sheriff's office report.

Sheriff's deputies asked the man to instead report back to the scene of the accident with his gun — unloaded and holstered — to be interviewed, which he complied with.

Sheriff's deputies took photos of the scene and secured the gun.

There was no indication of charges being filed as of press time, but the investigation was ongoing, according to the sheriff's office.