Barberton police

A Barberton man is accused of accidentally shooting a woman in the arm through a closed door.

(File photo)

BARBERTON, Ohio -- A Barberton man is accused of accidentally shooting a woman through his closed front door.

Derrick Whittington, 24, is charged with felonious assault and possessing a weapon as a felon. He is jailed on $500,000 bond after his appearance Friday in Barberton Municipal Court.

The shooting happened about 10:45 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of 3rd Street N.W.

The woman and several others went to Whittington's home. The group announced they were going to come inside. Whittington, with a gun in his hand, tried to slam the door shut on the group, according to police reports.

Witnesses told police that the someone pushed the door back at Whittington, whose gun went off. Whittington told he initially thought the gunshot came from someone outside the door. He realized about 10 minutes later his own gun had fired, according to police reports.

The bullet went through the front door and hit the woman's lower right arm, causing a minor injury. The woman left and later decided to go to Barberton Hospital.

Barberton police found Whittington's gun in his closet. They also found the fired bullet and shell cashing on the front porch of the home, according to police reports.

Court records say Whittington was not allowed to possess a gun because of previous convictions for burglary. He was also sentenced to probation in December for heroin possession.

Whittington also has a lengthy criminal record as a juvenile, court records say.