Woman Reaches for Phone in Purse, Fires Gun Instead

A woman's purse is a multitool. It can be a fashion accessory, a lunch bag, a first aid kit, a storage locker, or an impromptu umbrella for a dash to the door in a downpour—it is definitely not a holster, however. So learned Kashaun Alexsis McRunells of Edwards, Mississippi, who was at a basketball game at the Rosa Scott High School gym Monday night when she went rummaging in her purse for her ringing phone, reports the Madison County Journal. Instead, she fired her gun. The bullet didn’t hit anyone, but the incident suspended the game, WLBT reports.

Investigators took McRunnells out of the gym for questioning, and the game resumed after she left, with the home team winning, according to a tweet from the school’s account. Police say McRunells had a concealed carry permit for the weapon, so she was allowed to bring it to the event. She was not allowed to discharge it, however—she was charged with discharging a firearm in the Madison city limits. She’s out on a $500 bond. (It’s not the first time a gun accidentally discharged at a school—a teacher at a California high school trying to teach a public safety class fired a bullet that wounded a student.)