Kansas man shoots self with ‘homemade’ gun, pleads guilty to weapon charge, prosecutor says

A 32-year-old Kansas man who accidentally shot himself with a “homemade” shotgun earlier this year pleaded guilty to a felony weapon charge, the Leavenworth County Attorney said in a news release.

Michael W. Trapp, of Leavenworth, pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal use of a weapon in district court on Wednesday.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said the charge was filed in May after police were called to a home for a report of shots fired. At the home, police found Trapp with a gunshot wound to the left side of his face. Trapp allegedly told officers he had shot himself with a shotgun he made.

Trapp said he dropped the shotgun and it went off, hitting him in the face. He said he left the gun in his bedroom.

Police found the gun in a backpack, and found a shell casing for a Winchester 12-gauge.

According to the prosecutor, the barrel of the homemade gun was less than 18 inches in length, which is illegal per state law.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 8:04 PM.