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Man Arrested After Accidentally Firing Bullet into Apartment Below

An Arlington man was arrested last night after police say he accidentally fired a bullet into the apartment below his.

The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on the 3800 block of Columbia Pike, a couple of blocks west of S. Glebe Road.

The suspect was “engaged in a dispute with a group of people,” police said. “When the suspect allegedly went inside to retrieve his firearm, it discharged and a bullet entered the residence below.”

Police were called when the downstair resident “observed a stray bullet come through the ceiling.” No one was hurt.

The 36-year-old suspect is facing a number of charges, including “possession of a firearm by a foreign national.”

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

WEAPONS VIOLATION, 2020-09270168, 3800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 9:30 p.m. on September 27, police were dispatched to the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was inside his residence when he heard noise and observed a stray bullet come through the ceiling. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect was engaged in a dispute with a group of people behind a residential building. When the suspect allegedly went inside to retrieve his firearm, it discharged and a bullet entered the residence below. Officers located the suspect outside his residence and took him into custody without incident. No injuries were reported. Jose Gomez, 36, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm or Missile in/at an Occupied Building, and Possession of a Firearm by a Foreign Alien.