Lexington County woman charged after accidental shooting at Lexington Hospital

A Batesburg-Leesville woman who is a concealed weapons permit holder has been charged after a gun she had in her purse discharged and hit someone at Lexington Hospital last week.

Angelia Swygert Hawes, 58, was charged with carrying a concealable weapon in a restricted place, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a news release.

Hawes was in a restroom in the hospital’s South Tower Lobby on May 4, 2016, when the .25 caliber handgun discharged. Investigators believe the gun went off accidentally. The individual hit sustained a non-life-threatening injury, Koon said. No other details about the injured individual were released.

While South Carolina law does allow for permitted carrying of concealed firearms, the permit states that such weapons may not be carried into a “hospital, medical clinic, doctor’s office, or other facility where medical services or procedures are performed unless expressly authorized.”

Hawes was released Wednesday morning on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Lexington County woman charged after accidental shooting at Lexington Hospital."