A man is in serious but stable condition in hospital after shooting himself in the neck at the gun range in West Edmonton Mall.

The man in his 50s was target-shooting at the Wild West Shooting Centre around 8 p.m. Tuesday when he began waving the 9-mm semi-automatic handgun around, said police.

He began shooting off-target even though range supervisors warned him at least twice to stop.

Two range supervisors moved in to wrest the gun away from the man with all three falling to the ground in the struggle.

During the scuffle, three or four shots were fired, with one hitting the man in the neck, said Insp. Brian Nowlan.

"They took all the precautions necessary," he said. "They had supervisors on each side of one individual so I think they did what they could to keep things safe.

"You can't always tell what's going through someone's mind."

There were several employees and customers in the range at the time, but nobody else was hurt, he said.

Nowlan said police are considering charging the man with careless use of a firearm.

Two people attempted suicide at the range in 2007, one successfully.