Earlier this afternoon, a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was apparently servicing his gun in a locker room—deep in the museum, far from the public, the Museum's spokesman Harold Holzer tells us—when the gun accidentally discharged. The guard was shot in the foot, but he was conscious when he was taken to the hospital.
According to City Room, "The guard, whose injuries were not life-threatening, is one of a limited number at the museum authorized to carry weapons, said Harold Holzer, a spokesman for the museum. They are not allowed to take them out of the building, Mr. Holzer said, so they maintain and clean them on the premises."
Holzer emphasized that the locker room was in the "bowels" of the museum (it is over 2 million square feet) and they'll be finding out about the guard's condition later. While he declined to disclose to us how many security guards are at the museum, Holzer told the Post that the museum "has been well-protected by these uniformed guards for over 100 years. They’re there to protect the public and the art. It’s worked out well so far. This was a unique event, clearly a freak accident."
