Man thought gun wasn’t loaded, shoots self in head while driving

A man died after he played with a gun he thought wasn’t loaded and shot himself in the head while driving, an Aurora official said.

Chadd R. Harrison, 25, was driving early Saturday in west suburban Aurora with two friends. He was in the 1300 block of Valayna Drive about 12:30 a.m. when he pulled out a .45 caliber handgun and began playing with it, said Aurora city spokesman Dan Ferrelli.

Harrison told two other men in the car, ages 24 and 25, the gun was not loaded, then held it to his head and pulled the trigger, Ferrelli said.

The firearm discharged into his head, Ferrelli said. His 25-year-old friend was able to stop the car by shifting the transmission into park.

Harrison, a Bolingbrook resident, was taken to an Aurora hospital where he was pronounced dead, Ferrelli said. The other two men were not hurt.