KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) -- Police say an Idaho man shot himself and claimed the injury was from a robbery, leading them on a fruitless chase.
The Tri-City Herald reports that police in Pasco, Washington, say the 53-year-old man is being treated for a gunshot wound on his left palm.
Sgt. Brad Gregory says the injury was not life-threatening but caused extensive damage.
Gregory says the man went to an emergency room around midnight Sunday and said he was shot by two men trying to rob him.
Police were unable to find any evidence of the event. Gregory says the man eventually admitted that he accidentally shot himself when he picked up a semi-automatic gun at his relatives' house and it went off.
The police report did not explain why he made the robbery up.
