Self-inflicted gun shot victim IDed

PALMER — A man accidentally shot himself on the Alaska State Fairgrounds while transferring a handgun between holsters Tuesday, authorities said.

Marty Magro, 37 of Eagle River, was transferring a Glock .40 Caliber Model 27 handgun between a hip holster and one located in a vehicle when the gun discharged into his abdomen just above the pelvis, according to law enforcement and Alaska State Fair officials. The shooting took place on the yellow parking lot at the north end of the fairgrounds.

“The first responders were told that when he was transferring it (between holsters) he dropped it, and when he tried to catch it, it went off,” said fair spokesman Dean Phipps.

Magro was moving the gun to his vehicle in order to conform to a state fair policy prohibiting guns use on the fairgrounds, and had not yet left the fair parking area, Phipps said.

“He had not been walking around the fair grounds with a gun,” he said.

No criminal investigation is planned because the shooting didn’t violate any state laws, according to Palmer Police Commander Lance Ketterling.

A Palmer Police Department vehicle happened to be passing by at the time, so state fair personnel flagged down the officer. Emergency medical responders determined Magro would need to be transported via helicopter, and a section of the lot was briefly cordoned off to establish a landing zone.

Fair personnel and policy responded according to pre-existing emergency plans, Phipps said.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.