Teacher accidentally shoots self in leg at school

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah elementary school teacher who was carrying a concealed firearm at school accidentally shot herself in the leg when the weapon discharged in a faculty bathroom shortly before classes started this morning, officials said.

Ben Horsley, a spokesman for Granite School District, said the teacher at Westbrook Elementary School, in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville, was severely injured when the bullet entered and exited her leg, and she was rushed to a hospital. She was in good condition and alert at the hospital by midmorning, Horsley said.

No other faculty or students witnessed the shooting, but they might have heard the gunshot or seen the teacher as she was taken out of the school to the hospital, he said.

Classes continued as usual, and crisis counselors were available, Horsley said.

Officials were still investigating how the gun discharged. "This just appears at this point in time to be an accident," he said.

He wouldn't release details about the woman or what she taught, but he noted she was carrying the weapon legally with a concealed firearm permit.