RALEIGH — A Knightdale man ended up at the hospital with a gunshot wound after his three-legged dog knocked a handgun off the kitchen counter, according to court records made public Tuesday.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office began an investigation on the day of the shooting and eventually determined it was an accident.

The shooting occurred Jan. 15 at 1910 Terry Lane in Knightdale, sheriff's Deputy J.W. Carter stated in a search warrant affidavit made public Tuesday.

John Sidney Daniels, 28, told Carter that he had laid his .32-caliber semiautomatic handgun at the edge of the kitchen bar when his mixed-breed dog jumped up and knocked the weapon to the floor, according to the affidavit.

The handgun fired as it hit the floor. Daniels said he jumped to avoid being hit, but a bullet struck his right knee. No one else was home.

Daniels said he limped to a phone and called his parents, but no one answered. Then he called his sister, who took him to the hospital.

Daniels told his sister that he did not want paramedics or law officers at his home, but WakeMed staff called 911.

Sheriff's deputies, armed with a search warrant, arrived at Daniels' home on the evening of the shooting. They searched for evidence to corroborate Daniels' assertion that he was accidentally shot because of his dog's ill-timed leap.

The deputies recovered a Vesta .32-caliber handgun, with a magazine and seven rounds of ammunition, a spent shell casing and a projectile, court records show.

Daniels could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

thomasi.mcdonald@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4533