A 20-year-old Byers man who told authorities he was the victim of a drive-by shooting was actually accidentally shot by a teenage friend, police said.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office was called at about 6 p.m. Tuesday to the 200 block of S. McDonnell Street on a report of a gunshot victim.
The victim, who was not identified by the sheriff’s office, told deputies he was walking with a friend just south of the Byers Library when a car drove by and a passenger “called them a name” and then fired three to five shots.
The victim has a gunshot wound to the back. He is being treated at a local hospital and the wound is not life-threatening, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators looking into the drive-by story have determined that the man was actually shot by a 15-year-old friend inside a home on the 100 block of South Main Street, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect in the shooting, who also was not named, has told investigators the handgun accidentally discharged when he was placing it on a coffee table.
The handgun has been recovered by investigators.
The teenager was taken into custody and held on suspicion of assault, prohibited use of a weapon, and possession of a handgun by a juvenile.
The sheriff’s office did not say whether the victim will be cited for giving a false report.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
