Man falls asleep holding handgun, shoots himself

A 34-year-old Mitchell, South Dakota man feel asleep on his back porch while holding a loaded handgun.  The man was sitting in a lawn chair and fell asleep around 2 a.m.  When a family member turned on the porch light and opened the door the man became startled, woke up, and unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting himself.
He suffered a flesh wound and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The man told police he had taken some items from this truck, including the handgun, and sat down on the porch to have a cigarette when he dozed off.
His name is not being released because no criminal charges have been filed.
"He was lucky it wasn't more serious," said the police investigator.