Man accidentally shot woman at Benghazi movie because he feared mass shootings, police say

last updated 25 January 2016

Dane Gallion, 29, definitely went to see 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi at a movie theater in Renton, right outside Seattle, on Thursday, and Michelle Mallari, a 40-year-old woman in the same theater, was definitely shot in the shoulder. Everything else is being litigated.

Gallion fled the theater after his unholstered handgun went off, Renton Police say, then turned himself in 90 minutes later, after his father called 911. On Saturday, police said that Gallion explained he had a gun in his waistband because he was "concerned about recent mass shootings in public places." He also allegedly acknowledged taking anti-anxiety medication earlier in the day and drinking a 22-ounce beer before the movie. Gallion was released late Saturday on $25,000 bail after his first court appearance.

"Preliminary accounts indicate that an intoxicated suspect entered one of the theaters and was fumbling with a handgun he had in his possession when it went off, striking another patron seated in front of him," Renton Police said in a statement. But, according to The Seattle Times, Gallion also gave differing accounts of what happened. According to his father's 911 call, Gallion first said he dropped the gun from his pocket and it went off. He told the arresting officer that the gun went off after someone reached for his crotch, Renton Police said Saturday, then maintained at the police station, without elaborating, that someone had been bothering him during the movie. Gallion, who has a concealed-carry permit, denies handling the gun before it discharged.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.