Mark and Lisa Solomon are both recovering from gunshot wounds
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CENTRALIA – They call it the devil gun.
Mark and Lisa Solomon were both momentarily stunned by a loud bang and ringing as they sat inside their Ford Ranger pickup.
She saw his bloody right hand and didn’t realize she’d been hit in the upper thigh by a 9 mm round.
He saw his wife of 15 years holding her left leg and realized she’d been shot.
“I was worried about her,” he said. “I was trying to put a sweatshirt on it.”
His hand was just numb, he said. Mark Solomon is left handed.
One bullet, two holes and injuries that are still healing.
It happened in late February, in the parking lot at Sunbird Shopping Center in Chehalis.
The 40-year-old Centralia man had just purchased a new holster for his handgun and was behind the wheel of his truck, his wife in the passenger seat, he said. Before they drove away, he was putting his pistol into what he called a paddle holster and the gun discharged, he said.
The bullet traveled through his right hand and lodged in her thigh.
Lisa Solomon spent five days at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Her femur was broken in three places, she said.
Doctors installed a titanium rod that extends from her hip to her knee. It will be about two more weeks before she’s allowed to put any weight on it, she said. For now, she uses a walker.
Mark Solomon’s right hand is still somewhat swollen, and it’s sore when he moves his fingers, he said.
He was only off work for a week. He’s part of a crew that makes bread for Subway restaurants at Millard Refrigeration in Centralia.
Both are grateful the other wasn’t hurt worse, but they’re puzzled about the criminal charge he now faces.
He is charged in Chehalis Municipal Court with reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and / or a fine of $10,250. He pleaded not guilty last week.
It was an accident, they said.
“What people don’t understand, is I’m legal to have a loaded pistol,” Mark Solomon said.
“The round never left the vehicle, so it’s not reckless,” he said. “It’s not like it ended up in Centralia, or blew through the windshield, or whizzed by a kid’s leg.”
He said he’s had a concealed weapon permit since 2008, as well as for a few years in the mid-1990s. He just got the 9 mm Kel-Tec three or four months ago.
He’s not impressed with the weapon, or the hard plastic holster he bought.
The pistol has an internal automatic safety, he said. It’s not like his other handgun, with an external safety he can turn on or off, he said.
“What I did, I grabbed the butt of the pistol and put it in, and something got the trigger,” he said. “I didn’t touch the trigger, it caught on something.”
Chehalis police have said they didn’t find any intent to do harm, but that no one should be handling a loaded firearm in a public place like a busy parking lot, nor should a gun’s barrel be pointed at anyone unless one intends to shoot them.
Given a chance to do that day over, Mark Solomon said he’d probably wait until he got home, and unload his weapon before checking out how it fit in the holster, he said.
“It was kind of like a new toy, I wanted to try it out,” he said.
But that doesn’t change, that what occurred was an accident, he said.
Lisa Solomon has a doctor’s appointment on April 24, when she expects to be told she can walk without the aid of a walker.
Mark Solomon will be back in court, with a public defender that same day.
They’re both anxious for the outcome of his court case.
What they do know for sure though, is they don’t want the Kel-Tec back in their lives.
“If I get the gun back, I’m gonna get rid of it,” he said. “I don’t want it around.”
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
There is no gun safety needed for a CWP. But common sense goes a long way.
“Then when he shoots you in self defense, you tell us whose insurance paid what.”
It seems to me like Solomon only carries a gun to feel like big, bad, macho man.
All the more reason to take away his conceal carry permit. It’s only a matter of time before someone says something Solomon doesn’t like and gets shot.
Hey Monkey’s Uncle-if you’re so much bigger than Solomon, why don’t you go up to him the next time you see him and take a hefty swing at his face. Then when he shoots you in self defense, you tell us whose insurance paid what.
Solomon, this will blow over. These people on here don’t give a shit about your situation and the Crummicle is such a louse of a paper, they’ll harp on something until they run out of ink. Probably why they can only go to print a couple of times a week. Thank God Sharyn tells us the news for free, albeit I’m as tired of reading your name as I’m sure you are. Take care and hope you win the lottery! You could buy a shitload of guns!
Mr. Solomon,
I have seen you buying lottery tickets at the mom and pop market across from Dick’s Brewery. I’m quite a bit bigger than yourself.
This incident makes me posit the following; are people that hold conceal to carry permits required to carry some type of personal liability insuranse? Imagine if someone was critically wounded or killed accidentally by someone carrying in public. What recourse would the wounded party have to gain some sort of compensation?
Who would be financially responsable for paying medical costs ?
The state legislature should take a look into that.
Mark S:
Do yourself a favor and shut off the comp! Do not read any of the comments on here. The only person you need to worry about is you and your family. You need to realize that everyone has their own opinion, Nothing you say can change that, but you can change the way you’re handling this situation by not reading it!
You have people that are on your side and a few who aren’t.
Focus on the positive and you will sail through this, you have enough on you’re plate to waste it on negative comments.
Just be grateful you and your wife are here today, Think about that..
Now just smile, thank god and make a difference in your life, This is one of those wake up calls, hug your wife and family everyday…..
Wow mark, please re read your last three posts from a third person perspective…… Now does that sound like it was written by a mature level headed person? No further comment.
Disgusted all bills payed what are you jealouse sorry I have good insurance all you haters you see my truck around so don’t be shy go ahead and let me no your screen name when you see me iam a nice guy but after all this talk on here its so easy to be such a big man behind a monitor> see you see when you say hi
monkey uncle eat shit step up bitch
To all you haters fuck off it was nothing but a accident I read all your posts any one wanna talk shit about calling me a moran or should have my permit taken away you talk shit on her but wanna meet in person and say it to my face long john get a fucking life and a job iam done taking shit with the haters step up or shut up
It’s ironic his plate says bone collector. Now he can add his wifes femur bone to the collection!
Seriously though,I hope he does loose his permit to carry a concealed weapon. It’s crystal clear he lacks the capacity of sound judge that one must have to accept the responsibility that comes with that permit
“It is obvious by his post here that the man feels bad enough without reading all this bullshit”
It’s obvious to me that Mr. Solomon has no feelings of regrets and in fact is pretending to be the victim and seeking support from the community in order to evade responsibility.
That may seem like he’s got it “rough” to you, but it seems to me like he’s making his situation worse.
Why not be a man, accept responsibility and PAY FOR YOUR MISTAKE.
Why is that such a hard concept to grasp?
You Sir are a MORON. This was pure negligence on the gun owners part. This just adds fuel to the gun control argument. And who is paying for both of the medical bills.? I’m sure their medical insurance won’t cover him shooting both of them.
My best wishes go out to Mr. Solomon and his wife. This could have happened to anyone, and hindsight is 20/20 for all you people saying what he “should” have done. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. Ever had one? It might have been far different if that bullet had sturck a bystander, but it didn’t. What sould have, should have or would have happened if . . . is not relevant.
It is obvious by his post here that the man feels bad enough without reading all this bullshit. If they charged me, I’d fight it to. It is his right to do so. I think it is utterly ridiculous that they charged him with anything. Especially when 99% of the tweakers in this county commit much more serious crimes and get away with said crimes by tattling on other tweakers and doing what law enforcement should do themselves.
And what about the idiot that drove his car through one of the stores at the outlet mall recently? He could have killed a lot of people and probably should not be behind the wheel of a car, but he didn’t even get a traffic citation!
Wow, an ass load of haters up in here! Cut the man a break!