Bullet fragment strikes woman when gun discharges on CTA bus

A woman suffered a graze wound when a gun accidentally discharged on a CTA bus early Wednesday morning in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

A 45-year-old man riding the #47 bus southbound on West 47th Street at South Kildare Avenue about 6:30 a.m. discovered a small firearm sitting unattended on a seat, according to police and CTA officials.

The man thought the gun was a toy or lighter, picked it up and it discharged, police said. A bullet struck a vent under a row of seats, and a fragment struck a 47-year-old woman in the left thigh.

Police said the bullet did not go through the woman’s skin or clothing and she declined transport to a hospital.