U.S. Navy recruiter shoots himself in leg in Georgia

By David Beasley

(Reuters) - A U.S. Navy recruiter in Georgia accidentally shot himself in the leg with his own handgun Friday at a local recruiting office, police said.

The accident in Gainesville, Georgia, north of Atlanta, took place a day after four Marines were killed and three other people injured in attacks at two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of the sites was a recruiting office.

Gainesville police received a call at about 10:30 a.m. Friday reporting a shooting at a military recruiting office, police spokesman Kevin Holbrook told Reuters.

It was "an accidental shooting by a Navy recruiting officer," Holbrook said. "He was shot once in the upper leg."

The recruiting officer, whose name and age have not yet been released, was taken to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition, Holbrook said.

Local police are assisting the U.S. military in their investigation of the shooting, he added.

(Editing by Frank McGurty and Sandra Maler)