Corbin Walmart employee accidentally shoots self during parking lot break

An employee at the Corbin Walmart was taken by ambulance to Baptist Health Corbin Friday afternoon after he accidently shot himself in the left knee.

Laurel County Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Poynter said the employee, John Michael Lipps, had gone out to his car during his break about 2 p.m.

“He was holding the gun, looking at it, and it went off,” Poynter said.

The bullet from the Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, struck the employee in the knee. The impact from the bullet into the car was clearly visible from the outside as a bulge in the center of the door.

Poynter said there was no alcohol or drugs involved in the incident. The employee will not face any charges.

“It was just an accident,” Grimes reiterated.

Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County also responded to the scene.