Man accidentally shoots himself in road-rage incident

A road-rage incident late Wednesday night in Lancaster led to a scuffle that ended when one of the combatants pulled out a gun and accidentally shot himself in the leg, Lancaster police said today.

The man who was shot was scheduled to undergo surgery in Erie County Medical Center, but police said the wound was not considered life-threatening.

Detectives believe the incident started at about 10:30 p.m., when someone reportedly cut someone else off in traffic on Ransom Road. A chase ensued, involving two individuals on motorcycles and one in another vehicle.

A short distance away on Ransom, at least one of the motorcyclists and the motorist confronted each other, and the motorist pulled out a gun.

"The one male points the gun at the second male," Capt. Timothy R. Murphy said. "The second male punches him in the face. As the first male is falling backwards, he discharges the gun and shoots himself in the left leg."

Police have not identified either of the combatants, both of whom are in their 20s. While no charges have been filed, detectives are considering possible charges, including weapons possession, against the man with the gun.

Capt. Murphy, Lancaster's chief of detectives, used the violent incident as a reminder of what can happen when people try to settle disputes with someone they don't know.

"If you have a problem on the road, call the police," he warned. "Don't confront an individual. You don't know what's going to happen. The individual without the gun is lucky that he didn't get shot."