Man who accidentally shot himself in a St. Paul school pleads guilty to weapons offense

A man accused of accidentally shooting himself at a St. Paul elementary school earlier this year has pleaded guilty to a weapons offense.

According to court records, Lamont Jaytaris Gray, 31, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor of reckless handling or use of a dangerous weapon. If the guilty plea is accepted, a lesser weapons charge will be dismissed.

As previously reported, Gray was attending his daughter’s open house at Como Park Elementary School on the evening of Jan. 18 when a loaded gun allegedly went off and struck him in the leg. He told police the accidental discharge happened as he was tightening his belt while playing basketball.

Witnesses told police that there were 40 to 50 people in the gym at the time, most of them children. No one else was injured.

In a plea of ​​guilty filed Tuesday, Gray, who had a firearms permit at the time of the incident, wrote: “My actions were reckless and endangered the safety of others.”

Under the proposed agreement, Gray would have to serve two years of probation.