By Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, December 9, 2010
DUNEDIN — A man accidentally shot himself Thursday morning while cleaning his handgun, authorities said.
Teddy Allen Palinkas, 53, of 935 Cedarwood Ave., shot himself in the right upper torso around 9:20 a.m. and was flown by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Palinkas told Pinellas deputies that he forgot there was still a round in the chamber of his .380-caliber semi-automatic Taurus when it went off.