FISHERS, Ind. -- The man accused of bringing a loaded handgun into a Fishers IKEA Monday has been charged with criminal recklessness after a child found and fired the gun.
The man went into the store at 2 p.m. and sat on a sofa. When he crossed his legs, his Kel-Tec Model P3AT 3380 caliber handgun fell out of his pocket, but he didn't notice, the man told police. He later also told police he was wearing shorts with shallow pockets.
Two 6-year-old children later found the gun inside the IKEA and fired it. The shot went into the couch, according to a court document.
Francis T. Wright, 62, of Camby, Indiana, was charged with one count of criminal recklessness in connection with the IKEA incident, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office. His first court hearing is July 11.
Wright did have a permit to carry the gun, police say.
An IKEA spokesperson released the following statement about the incident:
"We take this incident very seriously and we have offered the family of the child involved our sincerest apologies. Safety and security of customers and co-workers is the top priority for IKEA. We have processes in place to ensure that the store is safe for customers and co-workers. For example, our store team has regular safety walks and audits which happen before, during and after opening hours. In addition, IKEA has a no weapon policy in our locations to prevent exactly these types of situations. As soon as we were aware of the situation, our co-workers took the action that they were trained to do to ensure the safety of customers. We are cooperating with police as they investigate this incident."
