GADSDEN, Alabama -- A Gadsden man accidentally shot himself in the stomach early Saturday morning while contemplating a trip to a shooting range, then dug out the bullet himself before going to the hospital, police say.

Gadsden Police Capt. Bobby Jackson said the incident happened around 5:30 a.m. Saturday. A 35-year-old Gadsden man was with friends at his residence in the 200 block of North Third Street in East Gadsden. The man had enjoyed "a night of partying at local nightclubs," Jackson said.

Witnesses say a discussion began about going to a shooting range later that day. The man took out a pistol and began spinning it around his finger when the gun went off, wounding the man in the stomach. The bullet, however, did not go out his back.

The man told police he could feel the bullet beneath his skin, Jackson said, so he dug the bullet out with a knife. Friends then talked him into going to Gadsden Regional Medical Center for treatment.