ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Two Albany residents are lucky to be alive after accidental shootings sent them to the hospital.

The first shooting sent the victim to the hospital with a broken femur on July 30. The 19-year-old victim told police she was handling a 9mm handgun when it fired. The bullet hit her in the thigh, breaking her femur. She is expected to recover.

Albany Police Chief Michael Persley says there was a question as to what gun was being handled in the shooting. Two Draco 7.62mm pistols and a spent 7.62mm shell casing were found at the residence, in the 2400 block of West Alberson Drive. This shooting is being investigated as an accidental shooting.

The next day, a 20-year-old bystander was shot at The Scene at Sand Hill Apartments. Police say a gun thought to be unloaded was fired, injuring the victim. She is also expected to recover.

Two people are facing charges in that accidental shooting. 20-year-old Audrina Evans and 23-year-old Devin Gray are charged with reckless conduct. Evans is also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes.

At a Monday press conference, Chief Persley addressed the accidental shooting, asking gun owners to treat all firearms as if they were loaded.

“It’s not a hammer, it’s not a screwdriver, something you can just put your hands all over it no. Even if the magazine is empty, there’s no round in the chamber, you still treat all weapons as though they are loaded. You don’t play with weapons; we don’t point them at each other.”

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