Teen accidently shoots self while in Orange City library

ORANGE CITY, Fla. — A teenager was sent to the hospital after he accidentally shot himself, according to Orange City Police.

The shooting happened inside the Dickinson Memorial Library in Orange City Thursday.

Police said the teen found the gun somewhere in Orange City late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning and brought the gun into the library inside his backpack.

Police said two 16-year-olds and a 19-year-old from University High School went to the library after school and headed to the back, away from others.

"One was listening to music. One was maybe looking at his phone. The middle one, the victim in this case, took out a revolver and was either looking at it or toying with it," said Ken Jones of the Orange City Police.

Police said the 16-year-old accidentally fired the .38 caliber gun -- shooting himself in the face.

"I was on the computer at the time and I went over to the kid and I saw blood gushing," said witness Carol Burrough.

The library was evacuated while police and paramedics arrived.

The teen was taken to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where he was listed in stable condition Thursday night.

Police said the gun has a history.

"We don't know who the gun belongs to. We were told that the kid found it -- found out later during the investigation, it's possibly a stolen handgun from a Bush County case about 10 years ago," said Jones.

Students from University High are hoping for the best for their classmate.

"I think it's really sad because he might not be able to survive," said classmate Katrina Andrews.

The library was shut down after the shooting.

Police are working to find out about the original case from which the gun was reported stolen.

WFTV