DARLINGTON — A Darlington man who accidentally shot himself in the leg in March faces a misdemeanor charge related to the incident.

Coty J. Lange, 27, has his initial appearance April 22 in Lafayette County Circuit Court on the Class A misdemeanor charge of operating a firearm while intoxicated. 

Lange suffered a serious wound after shooting himself in the upper thigh at a home in the 600 block of East Mary Street on March 3, according to police reports. He was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County and later flown by Med-Flight helicopter to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison for treatment of his injuries.

According to the criminal complaint, Lange told police he was “messing around” in the garage with a .270 caliber Savage Model 111 hunting rifle when it went off. He said he was intending to clean the gun and had no intentions of self-harm.

Police unloaded three casings from the rifle, one empty and two not, and found another bullet nearby with the word “bitch” written on it in permanent marker. Ten empty beer cans were also nearby, police reported.

Lange told police he didn’t think he was that drunk, but a breathalyzer test showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.329%, more than four times the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin.

Court records show no criminal convictions for Lange in Wisconsin besides a second-offense criminal traffic offense of operating while intoxicated in May 2014.