Man charged after teen accidentally shot in head in Midtown restaurant, Memphis police say

A 17-year-old boy was in critical condition after he was shot in the head while he and friends were playing with a gun inside E's 24-Hour Cafe in Midtown early Thursday morning.

The incident took place around 5:15 a.m. when police responded to a shooting call at the restaurant at 1308 Union Avenue.

"Once on the scene, officers found the 17-year-old victim had been shot in the head," said Memphis police Major W.J. Prince.

Prince said the preliminary investigation showed the teen was with two other people and they were playing with a gun when it discharged and struck him in the head.

► More news: Sherra Wright makes first court appearance in Memphis

he teen was taken to the Regional Medical Center in critical condition. No one else was injured.

Police later charged 21-year-old Sherman Lackland with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Crime scene tape surrounded the restaurant that sits across the street from Methodist University Hospital.

A few employees were still inside the business as police investigated. One employee was picked up by a family member but declined to comment, only saying that he was not injured and "a little shaken up."

The incident remains under investigation, police said.