Homicide suspect accidentally shoots himself as he puts gun in pants, Florida cops say

A man accused of killing someone who bumped into him also ended up shooting himself when the gun fired as he tucked it into his pants, according to investigators in Florida.

Joshua Howard was charged with second-degree murder with a firearm after being taken to a hospital for his self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 19 news release.

Witnesses say 35-year-old Howard was seen shooting Willie Joe Frazier Jr. “multiple times” around 2 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at Mermaids Lounge in Spring Hill, the sheriff’s office reports.

“The incident started inside Mermaids Lounge when Frazier bumped into Howard. ... When Frazier exited the bar a few minutes later, Howard confronted Frazier about, ‘Why he (Frazier) put his hands on him,’” deputies said. “The two exchanged words before Frazier began walking away. Howard began to follow Frazier at which time Frazier appeared to punch Howard. Howard proceeded to brandish a firearm and shoot Frazier multiple times, which was captured on video surveillance.”

Howard — who is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 300 pounds — fled the parking lot on foot, “but not before accidentally shooting himself in the side as he attempted to tuck his firearm into his waistband,” officials said.

Deputies caught up with him at a nearby intersection. He was arrested and taken to a trauma center in nearby Pasco County, and “remains hospitalized under guard by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office,” authorities said. Details of his condition were not released.

Spring Hill is about a 50-mile drive north from Tampa.