Sikeston trooper's gun discharges, injures hand

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Missouri State Highway Patrol sergeant received minor injuries to his left hand Monday evening when his new handgun went off accidentally, patrol officials said.

The injury occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m. Sgt. David M. Markham was off duty at the time of the accident and unloading the gun while inside in his Sikeston home.

The firearm, a new Beretta semiautomatic pistol, was not a state-issued weapon. No one else was injured during the incident. Markham was taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, where he was treated and released that evening.

The accident was immediately reported to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control. The incident is currently under routine investigation.