AURORA | An Aurora man faces assault charges after he inadvertently fired a handgun inside his apartment, shooting the neighbor in the unit below in the legs, police said.

Officers were called to the apartment complex in the 1300 block of Peoria street at about 8 a.m. Saturday after reports of a shooting there.

“When officers arrived, they located an adult man who sustained gunshot wounds to both lower legs,” Aurora police spokesperson Gabby Easterwood said in a statement. “The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to be okay.”

An investigation revealed that the man living in the apartment unit above him, Oscar Becerra-Gonzalez, 21, was “handling” his handgun when it went off, firing a round into the floor, Easterwood said.

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“The round traveled through the floor and into the unit below, striking the victim,” Easterwood said. “The suspect and victim do not know each other.”

Becerra-Gonzalez was arrested at his apartment and now faces a charge of second-degree assault.

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