Felony charges filed on Joplin victim of accidental shooting
Nov. 11—A man whom Joplin police believe accidentally shot himself Monday morning is now facing five felony weapon and drug possession counts.
Joseph D. Pryor, 29, a convicted felon, has been charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and single counts of unlawful possession of a defaced firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance in connection with a shooting at 904 S. Connor Ave.
Capt. William Davis said Pryor was on the porch of the residence there with a gunshot wound to his hip when officers arrived in response to a report of gunfire.
Pryor was taken to a local hospital for treatment of the wound before being taken into custody on active warrants concerning charges in Webb City.
Davis said Pryor had no gun on the porch when officers pulled up to the scene of the shooting. But witnesses reported that he had been cleaning a handgun when he apparently shot himself accidentally.
A search warrant was obtained on the residence, and two handguns, 1.8 grams of methamphetamine and 25.3 grams of marijuana were discovered in Pryor's bedroom, Davis said. One of the handguns purportedly had scratch marks indicating an effort to obliterate its serial number.
Pryor has felony convictions for drug and firearm possession, stealing a vehicle and vehicle tampering in Oklahoma and Missouri.
A felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm already pending against him in Jasper County Circuit Court pertains to an arrest Dec. 27 when a deputy found him asleep at the wheel of a vehicle outside a convenience store in Duenweg with a loaded pistol on the driver's seat.
