Athens-Clarke police detectives are investigating a report by an El Paso, Texas, man who said he accidentally shot himself Tuesday evening in the parking lot of America's Best Inn on Atlanta Highway.

Police were called Tuesday to the emergency room at Athens Regional Medical Center, where the 24-year-old man said he was removing his 9mm pistol from his vehicle when it accidentally discharged. The bullet went through his left hand and lodged in his left leg, police said. The man was eventually transferred to another hospital for treatment.

Officers examined the man's car in the hospital parking deck and saw blood spots on the exterior of a door and blood-soaked items inside the vehicle, according to a police report.