US gun shop owner fatally shot during weapons safety class

Chicago: In a bizarre incident, a 64-year-old gun shop owner in the US was shot and killed when a student accidentally fired a weapon during a firearms safety class at his business.

James Baker, the owner of an Ohio gun shop, was fatally shot when a student in a concealed carry permit class accidentally discharged a weapon, the Clermont County Sheriff's Office said.

Baker was shot in the neck and pronounced dead at his KayJay Gun Shop, the sheriff's office said in a statement. He was struck by a bullet that was fired by a class participant while practicing weapon malfunction drills on Saturday.

The sheriff's office reported about 10 people were taking the class in a room adjacent to where Baker was sitting. The student who discharged the handgun has not been identified, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

The incident comes amid a raging debate in the US over gun control laws in the wake of the Orlando gay club massacre in which Afghan-origin gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people.

In the hours following the fatal incident at the gun shop, nearly a dozen people gathered in front of the business sharing hugs and tears.

Anita Fritz, a neighbour, was quoted as saying that she had known Baker since 1999. She was holding a yard sale in the front yard of her father's home across the street of the gun shop when police and an ambulance arrived.

Fritz described Baker as the best neighbour you could ever have. "He was a friend to everybody," she said. "If it snowed, he'd get everybody's driveway."

She recalled that Baker worked in law enforcement in the 1970s and was a friend to local police and deputies. KayJay Gun Shop's website advertises concealed carry permit classes along with tactical rifle and defensive pistol classes.