There were no injuries when a shotgun was accidentally discharged by a resident in Abbott Hall last Thursday.
Just after 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 Thursday, residents of Abbott Hall received an email from Rebecca Peterson, the director of Housing and Residential Life at South Dakota State, about the incident.
“Early this afternoon there was what we suspect to be an unintentional discharge of a shotgun in Abbott Hall,” Peterson’s email read.
Peterson added that no threat is believed to be posed to residents of Abbott or campus and that the investigation is ongoing by University Police.
Keanna Thesenvitz is a resident of Abbott Hall and said her friend’s roommate discharged the weapon.
“My friend told me that his roommate went hunting and unloaded his gun before bringing it inside,” Thesenvitz said.
However, the student forgot to unload one shell which was still in the chamber. “While he was cleaning his gun, it discharged,” Thesenvitz said.
Nobody was hurt by the discharge.
Community Assistants circulated the building to inform residents that support was available, according to Thesenvitz.
Upon request, an official statement from the university acknowledged the incident.
“On Thursday, October 25, 2018 there was an unintentional discharge of a shotgun in Abbott Hall. University Police responded, the shotgun was recovered and the individual responsible identified. No injuries were reported. Residential Life communicated with Abbott Hall residents following the incident to reaffirm their safety is our top priority. As a reminder, possession of unauthorized weapons on University property is prohibited and a violation of the Student Code of Conduct,” the statement read.
South Dakota Board of Regents policy outlines that “possession of firearms or other dangerous weapons on the physical premises of the Regental institutions is prohibited unless authorized by the institutional chief executive officer or designee.”
Students who feel the need to store a firearm on campus may do so by coordinating with University Police. Officers will store the students’ firearms at the police department until students sign them out.
The form can be found on the SDState website by searching “firearms storage.”
