Police cite man after pistol discharges inside Cedar City grocery store

File photo of a Cedar City Police vehicle, Cedar City, Utah, April 27, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A man was cited for reckless endangerment on Halloween after police said he discharged a firearm inside a Cedar City grocery store.

The incident reportedly occurred just after 5 p.m. Monday at Smith’s, located at 633 S. Main, near the store’s pharmacy. 

According to documents filed with 5th District Court on Wednesday morning, Joshua Donn Erickson, 24, has been charged with a single count of reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor, in connection with the incident. 

Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow told Cedar City News on Tuesday that the man, who was wearing gym shorts, had his hands in his pockets when the gun went off.

The weapon, which was described as a small-caliber pistol, reportedly discharged a single bullet, which then ricocheted off the floor.

The ricochet caused minor injuries to two other people who were nearby, said Ludlow, adding that their injuries were “very small scratches” that did not require medical attention.

Ludlow said a hole in the man’s shorts indicated that the gun had gone off while it was inside his pocket.

Erickson, who wasn’t identified by police but was later identified in court records, was cited at the scene but was not arrested. Cedar City Police confirmed he is a concealed carry permit holder and had permission to carry the weapon.

An initial court appearance for Erickson has not yet been scheduled.

This report is based on statements from law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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