'Reckless' Tradition Leads to Groom Shot in the Testicles

Accident happened at bachelor party in Egypt, where firing guns is common celebratory practice
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 10, 2017 7:24 AM CST
Bachelor Party Ends With Groom Shot in His Private Parts
Maybe just throw confetti next time?   (Getty Images/wingedwolf)

The man StepFeed calls "the most unfortunate groom ever" probably wishes he'd skipped his own bachelor party after a celebration in Egypt gone wrong. Per local police, 28-year-old Osman al-Alsaied was bidding adieu to his single days on Monday night when a fellow reveler decided to partake in what the New York Post calls a common but illegal tradition in Middle Eastern and Arab countries: shooting his gun into the air. Except instead of pointing his gun skyward, the 26-year-old man accidentally fired toward al-Alsaied, hitting him in the hand, thigh, and testicles, the BBC reports. The groom was rushed to the hospital with what was said to be serious injuries, while the shooter panicked and ran from the scene; he was later apprehended and arrested.

The incident has spurred a wave of criticism from those who decry the custom, with some calling it "regressive" and "reckless." "If you did this while expressing your happiness, what would you have done if you were angry or upset?" one posted on social media, per StepFeed, which noted al-Alsaied isn't the first to receive a gunfire-induced injury during wedding festivities. Just last month, a 30-year-old wedding guest had to undergo emergency surgery after a stray bullet hit his thigh during the party. Public Radio International in 2016 noted such trigger-happy high jinks take place not only at weddings, but also at "funerals, graduations, birthdays … even when a political leader just talks on television." (This bride allegedly pulled a gun from her dress and opened fire.)

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