BURIEN, Wash. — Three men with gunshot wounds who claimed to be victims of a drive-by shooting were really shot when one of them was playing with a gun, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.
The victims, ages 19, 20 and 21, told police they were walking near the intersection of First Avenue South and South 146th Street at about 8:20 p.m. when they were shot by suspects in a white car.
The men then ran to a nearby Kaiser Permanente medical center for help, which was closed.
The men found an open door there, realized the office was closed, and then called 911.
Medics were called to the scene to treat the victims and take them to Harborview. All three are expected to make full recoveries.
Officers combed the area for evidence, but found no shell casings and no witnesses who heard any gunfire.
After looking at surveillance video from the medical center, police discovered that the three victims had been dropped off at the medical facility in a car.
Investigators initially did not know who shot the men or where it happened. A detective interviewed the victims at the hospital, but they were not cooperating.
The King County Sheriff's Office said the men later admitted that they were riding in the back seat of a car in the Burien area and one of them was playing around with a handgun. The gun accidentally fired, hitting all three of the men in the back seat.
The sheriff's office said the men panicked and drove to the Kaiser Permanente facility.
Deputies continue to investigate.
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