Early morning shotgun blast

The Seattle Police Department’s blotter reports:

On March 13th at 4:41 a.m., South Precinct patrol officers responded to the 1300 block of 15th Avenue S to a report of a mentally ill man starting a fire in his yard. The complainant reported that the man also had a shotgun.

Upon arriving in the area, officers reported hearing a gun shot. Officers contacted the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The suspect told officers that he accidentally dropped a shotgun shell into the fire causing it to it explode. Further investigation revealed that the spent shell was located in the chamber of the shotgun. Officers did not detect any injuries or property destruction caused by the gun shot.

The suspect was transported to Harborview Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. The shotgun was seized and placed into evidence.