Authorities say the owner of an Ohio gun shop who was teaching a concealed carry class was fatally shot in the neck by a student who accidentally fired a weapon.

The (Cincinnati) Enquirer reported that the shop owner, 64-year-old James Baker, was shot on Saturday while students practiced weapon malfunction drills.

A friend of Baker, Anita Fritz, told the paper she was holding a yard sale across the street from the gun shop when police and an ambulance arrived.

“He was a friend to everybody,” she said. “If it snowed, he’d get everybody’s driveway.”

Fritz also recalled that Baker worked in law enforcement in the 1970s and was a friend to local police and deputies.



“Cops were always coming in and out, and he told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not in trouble,’” she said. “They came and looked at his guns, get their guns fixed and cleaned and get their ammo.”

The Clermont County sheriff’s office said about 10 people were taking the class at the time at KayJay Gun Shop in Monroe Township, about 25 miles south-east of Cincinnati.

Baker died at the scene. The student who fired the weapon was not immediately identified.

According to the gun shop’s website, the concealed carry class included basic pistol safety instruction, shooting range sessions and a review of Ohio gun laws.

The Clermont County sheriff’s office was investigating the shooting.