HOLLY, Mich. – A man accidentally shot a friend who had gotten out of his truck to go to the bathroom on the way home from a night out in Oakland County.
Holly police officers said they were called at 7:45 p.m. Feb. 22, 2024, to a home on East Maple Street.
They found a 28-year-old Rose Township man lying in the front yard with injuries to his right hip and buttocks, officials said.
Thomas James Wolford, 32, of Rose Township, was hiding behind a pickup truck in the driveway, police said.
Investigators learned that the two men, who are coworkers and friends, had been returning home from a night out. The 28-year-old man drove and Wolford sat in the front passenger seat.
The driver stopped on a dirt road to use the bathroom, and when he returned to the truck, he heard a loud pop and felt pressure in his right side, police said.
Officials said Wolford had been sitting in the passenger seat with a handgun hidden in his pocket. He was taking it out to put it in a backpack when it fired, striking the driver, according to police.
The 28-year-old drove to a nearby friend’s house on Maple Street to call for medical help.
Wolford was taken into custody, and he told police the same story about what had happened. A loaded semiautomatic handgun was found.
The 28-year-old was brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. His injuries are serious, but not life-threatening, Holly police said.
Officers said Wolford was drunk and didn’t have a concealed pistol license. He was taken to the Oakland County Jail.
Wolford was arraigned Saturday at 52/1 District Court on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, careless discharge of a firearm causing injury or death, and possession of a firearm while under the influence.
The carrying a concealed weapon charge is a five-year felony, the careless discharge of a firearm charge is a two-year misdemeanor, and the drunk possession charge is a 93-day misdemeanor.
Wolford was given a $10,000 personal bond. He is scheduled to return to court on March 3.
