A 24-year-old man was airlifted to Royal Columbian Hospital Friday after he was shot in the stomach, near Princeton.

RCMP Sergeant Robert Hughes said the man – whose condition is unknown – was shot with a restricted hand gun in what seems to have been a mishap.

“Foul play is not suspected,” said Hughes. While police continue to investigate “it appears from all accounts to be accidental.”

Police were called to a vacation property near Allison Lake on Highway 5A, at about 1 p.m, by BC Ambulance Service.

Initially they were told a man had accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun, said Hughes.

Later police determined another party was handling the weapon.

“From what we can figure out he wasn’t familiar with how the gun worked,” said Hughes.

RCMP seized a gun, ammunition and magazines from the scene.

The handgun is legally registered to an owner, but that was not the person who was holding the gun when it discharged.

“Guns are not toys,” said Hughes.

“We see this time and time again. [However] It seems like it’s kids that this usually happens to, playing with loaded firearms…Hopefully it’s a lesson learned.”

The man who accidentally fired the gun is 22.

Hughes said there were several people in the residence when the incident occurred, and they were from B.C., Saskatchewan and Alberta.

At this stage in the investigation “we don’t know exactly what they were doing or what was leading up to it.”

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