Man survives shooting himself in the head

A 36-year-old Salina man survived shooting himself in the head after pulling the trigger of a gun he thought was empty.

Shannon D. Austin avoided serious injury when the .22-caliber revolver discharged a bullet above one of his eyes on Sunday morning, said Salina Police Deputy Chief Carson Mansfield.

The shooting occurred when Austin's neighbor, Michael Urich, stopped by to tell him he had been in a fight at a local bar, police said. Austin fired the revolver — which he thought did not contain any bullets — several times in the air in a show of support for Urich.

Urich told Austin to stop, but Austin then turned the gun toward his head and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit Austin's skull above an eye, but didn't penetrate the bone.

Austin was treated at a local hospital, where police ticketed him for shooting a firearm within city limits.