MAKHACHKALA, Russia, February 18 (R-Sport) - A wounded Olympic wrestling medalist shot himself by accident with his own pistol, a source in the regional wrestling federation of Dagestan told RIA Novosti on Monday.

Bakhtiyar Akhmedov, who won silver in the 120 kilogram division at Beijing 2008, was hospitalized with gunshot wounds Sunday after an incident in Makhachkala, capital of the Dagestan region.

“Bakhtiyar was driving and going about his business, and during the journey he picked up the pistol. Either he moved the bolt carrier, or he just picked it up, or just adjusted it in the holster because it was disturbing him. As a result, the pistol spontaneously shot him in the stomach,” the source said.

Gun ownership and violence are endemic in Dagestan, which suffers from a largely Islamist insurgency that spilled over after two wars in nearby Chechnya.