Legal gun owner shoots self kneeling at Easter Mass and hides weapon — but no charges filed

A man legally carrying a concealed weapon reportedly injured himself over the weekend when his gun discharged at an Easter vigil Mass in Pennsylvania.

Jason Wagler told WTAE that he was attending Saturday night's vigil at Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona when he heard the gun go off.

"We were standing for a few minutes and just before the final procession started, the gunshot went off," Wagner recalled.

The parishioner said that some witnesses assumed a speaker had blown, but he noticed smoke and began to take photos.

"I immediately took a step back and was about to take cover," he noted. "You never know if you're safe anymore in this world. It's a shame to know you can't go into church without having something like this happen."

According to the Altoona Mirror, investigators believe that the firearm snagged on the man's pants as he stood from kneeling, causing it to discharge.

Altoona police officer Christy Heck described the outcome as "beyond luck."

After the shot was fired, Wagner noticed that the shooter handed off his weapon to another man.

"I noticed the gun was handed to another gentleman. He immediately concealed it in a white program, so I took pictures of the gun inside this program," Wagner explained.

"It was like he was hiding the gun, yes he didn't want it obvious didn't want it out there," he added in an interview with WTAJ.

There were no indications that charges would be filed against the shooter.

Watch the video below from WTAJ, broadcast April 5, 2015.