An American man who shot himself in the penis was arrested after police said he lied about the incident.
After being admitted to hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound, 43-year-old Donald Anthony Watson told police he had been shot by “a black guy [who] tried to rob” him while he was taking the bins out at his flat.
Officers went to Watson’s flat, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but found no evidence of a shooting in the outside area.
However, they did interview a neighbour who said he heard screams of pain coming from Watson’s flat at about 1am that morning.
Due to the conflicting stories, the police obtained a search warrant for Watson’s flat. Inside, the police found bullet fragments on Watson’s bed, according to abc13NewsNow.
Police were unable to find the gun.
Before Watson went into theatre for surgery, the police returned to the hospital and asked him again how he was shot.
This time, he said he had shot himself while examining a gun he was trying to buy.
Two days after undergoing surgery on his penis, he was re-interviewed by police.
In this account, he said he was looking at the gun, and had then placed it in his pocket when the gun discharged, firing a bullet into his penis. During the interview he refused to tell officers who had been trying to sell him the gun, or where the weapon is now.
Watson, who has a previous criminal record, was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a drug offender, false reporting of a crime to law enforcement, and false report of information to law enforcement.
