WATCH: Kentucky cop shoots off finger after gun store clerk hands him loaded weapon

A former southern Kentucky police officer is suing a gun shop after he accidentally shot off his finger with a loaded weapon handed to him by a clerk.

WBKO-TV reported that former Officer Darrell Smith asked to see a .380 caliber handgun when he visited the Barren Outdoors in March, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

The clerk retrieved a weapon from beneath the glass display counter and hands the gun to Smith, who was wearing his Glasgow police uniform at the time.

Security camera video shows Smith examining the weapon, which the officer does not realize is loaded.

He cocked the weapon, which then fired and blows off a portion of the officer’s left index finger.

"He's permanently disfigured, he went through a lot of pain and suffering,” said his attorney, Alan Simpson. “He's gone through several surgeries. He's got a lot of medical bills that have to be paid. It ended his career and he's going to have a lot of lost income."

The suit claims the store’s owner was negligent because the employee did not perform a safety check on the weapon before handing it to the officer, who lost his job due to his injuries.

Watch graphic video of the incident posted online by WBKO-TV: