A Meriden family is counting their blessings after a neighbor's gun accidentally discharged, sending a stray bullet into their 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter's bedroom.
Police said Khaled Elmorsy was cleaning his gun Sunday night when the weapon went off at his condo on North Colony Road.
Elmorsy's downstairs neighbor, Tom Hollowell, said his 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter was sleeping in her room when the bullet flew by her bed and lodged itself in a closet door about three feet away.
Hollowell and his girlfriend noticed the bullet hole the next day and called police in a panic.
"We didn't know what happened," Hollowell explained. "We couldn't even comprehend what went on."
Police said Elmorsy never reported that the gun went off. They arrived on scene to examine the damage and promptly arrested him.
"He could have hurt someone, and no one would have known because people were sleeping," Hollowell said.
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Elmorsy was charged with unlawful discharge and reckless endangerment. Hollowell said his neighbor was shaken up and apologetic.
"I'm hopeful this experience will make him take more precautions when he's handling his guns in the future," Hollowell said.
For now, he's just counting his blessings and grateful his daughter wasn't hurt.
Elmorsy bonded out of jail and is due in court Aug. 22. No one answered the door at his condo Tuesday night. Police said they took away his guns after the incident.
