Thorne Martin, a Ball State University student, shot himself in the leg and pinky finger after cleaning his firearm Tuesday evening, roommate Tyler Cox said.
Cox, an architecture student, said he was in the Architecture Building when the event happened at about 7 p.m. at Cardinal Villa apartments on Bethel Ave.
Martin, an avid hunter, was cleaning his lawful handgun when it misfired, Cox said.
Multiple phone calls to Muncie City Police Sgt. Brad Arey, who is in charge of the incident, were not returned as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Cox said he heard from Muncie City Police that Martin thought he completely emptied the chamber of the weapon before beginning to clean it, not realizing there was still one bullet remaining in the gun.
Cox said he got a call from the police about the accident and had to immediately come back to his apartment. Multiple police cars and a Crime Scene Investigation Unit reported to the scene, residents said.
Cox said that Martin was taken into the emergency room at Ball Memorial Hospital, but did not know the status of his roommate's condition.
Mark Cromlich, vice president of Cardinal Villas, said he talked to a roommate of Martin's who reported that Ball Memorial is not going to do surgery on the gunshot wounds because "it seems like a minor injury."
"The kid's going to be fine," Cromlich added.
A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed Martin was taken into the emergency room, but would not give a more specific status.
Andrea Zeek contributed to this story
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