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Kentucky man faces criminal charges after gun discharges inside school, feet away from kids

Police say the man was playing with a child in the hallway when a gun fell off of him, hit the ground and fired one bullet within a few feet of several children.
Credit: Jake Cannon - WHAS

LEITCHFIELD, Ky. — A Grayson County man is facing criminal charges after he accidentally shot himself inside an elementary school while children were practicing basketball only a few feet away.

Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins says video from Caneyville Elementary School shows Matthew Nash, 37, running up and down a hallway of the school while playing with a small child prior to the shooting on Wednesday. 

He said Nash's gun fell out of a holster in his pocket, hit the ground and discharged a single bullet, striking Nash in the leg.

Chaffins said Nash was at the school to pick up his kids from a Jr. Pro basketball practice, which was still taking place at the time of the shooting.

When the gun discharged in the hallway, police say there were still several children practicing basketball with parents watching in the gym.

Chaffins said while the gun discharged within a few feet from the child in the hallway and children on the court, no children were injured.

Nash was flown to the University of Louisville Hospital where he was treated and released early Thursday morning.

Police say Nash is now facing criminal charges for unlawful possession of a weapon on school property and first-degree wanton endangerment.

The investigation is ongoing, Chaffins said.

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