UPDATE: Justin Wood drank two shots of Remy Martin brandy and two beers, then drove himself and friends to the apartment where the shooting incident occurred, according to the arrest warrant.
HARTFORD--On Nov. 2 a Hartford firefighter was showing a friend his firearm when it accidentally discharged.
Justin Wood, 25, of East Hartford, accidentally struck Jose Medina, 28, of Hartford, in the jaw when his Springfield Arms 9mm went off.
Medina was treated at Hartford Hospital and the Hartford Police Department's Major Crimes Division investigated.
Medina, a father of two, still has a long road of recovery ahead. According to his mother, Evelyn Flores, the bullet is still lodge in his neck. He has been released from the hospital, but he is set to undergo another therapy, and frequently sees visiting nurses and a speech therapist
On Wednesday Wood was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Wood surrendered to police and was subsequently released on a promise to appear.
Wood had a valid Connecticut State Pistol Permit at the time of the incident, but has since turned it over to the Connecticut State Police Firearms Unit for evaluation.
Flores says that Wood has admitted to police that he was drinking alcohol before showing his gun to Medina, but Fox CT has not yet obtained a copy of the arrest report. Fox CT reached out to Wood for comment several times, but he said to stop contacting him.
Wood will remain on paid administrative leave as the case proceeds.
Flores thinks that Wood should be held to a higher standard, as a firefighter, and believes his position is why the arrest took so long to go through. She also is unhappy that Wood was released on a written promise, without a monetary bond.
Wood is due in court Dec. 12.
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