A 14-year-old was accidentally shot in the foot in Dowagiac and a 23-year-old man was arrested after police say he initially ran from the scene.

The shooting happened just before 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, at Vineyard Place Apartments.

Dowagiac Police were contacted by Ascension Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital in Dowagiac advising that they were currently treating the teenager for the gunshot wound.

The victim told police they were sitting on the floor in the living room of an apartment. The victim heard a loud noise and realized they had been shot in the foot.

The suspect left the scene and was later contacted by a Deputy with the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and turned himself in.

The male suspect told investigators he was handling the gun and accidentally fired the handgun into the floor of an upstairs bedroom of the apartment which then the bullet struck the victim. Dowagiac Police recovered the weapon as well as other evidence from the scene.

The Cassopolis man was arrested on preliminary charges of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Felony Firearm.

The victim was treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries.

Anybody with information is asked to contact the Dowagiac Police Department at (269) 782-9743, or the Cass County Tip Line at (800) 462-9328.