The University of Arkansas student who accidentally shot himself in the hand in a campus building Friday was last listed in good condition in Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, according to a hospital supervisor.
Matthew Williamson, 37, is a work-study student working at the KUAF radio station, which is a UA building just off of the campus. Williamson took his Taurus Judge revolver out of his backpack Friday afternoon to show to another student, when the gun went off, Williamson and police said.
The .410 shotgun run blew through his left hand, damaging his left index finger and doing severe damage to the meaty part of his hand between his thumb and pointer fingers, Williamson told 5NEWS.
The student was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was listed in good condition over the weekend.
Williamson said he didn’t touch the gun and did nothing to jar the handgun into firing. He said he has since done research that he said showed the revolver was prone to accidental firings.
“It’s embarrassing. People think I did something wrong,” Williamson told 5NEWS. “It was just a fluke accident. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Williamson may face a charge of having a gun on school property, which is a Class D felony, and could face sanctions from the university. He said he didn’t realize the radio station – where he answered phones as part of a work-study program – was a part of the university’s campus or he would not have brought the gun.
Williamson is no longer listed as a patient at the hospital, but that does not necessarily mean he is no longer a patient there. Williamson’s missing name could mean he has decided to take his name off the public disclosure list.
