Man who shot self in groin at parking lot found guilty

SUMMIT COUNTY — A man who fired a handgun into his groin at a local parking lot last year was found guilty Wednesday of a felony and two misdemeanors.

David Leroy Blurton, 50, had been drinking alcohol the evening of May 29, 2009 when he pulled a Makarov 9mm pistol from his truck near City Market in Dillon and tried to cock it, resulting in serious injury, according to Deputy District Attorney Kristine Word.

Blurton, of Summit Cove, had said the move was in self-defense after a mugger struck him in the back of the head. But surveillance footage was insufficient to support that claim, and none of his money was missing from the scene, according to a press release from the district attorney's office.