VIDALIA — A Concordia Parish deputy was hospitalized Tuesday evening after he was injured by the discharge of a weapon in his pocket.

Deputy Lee Ford was walking in the area of Walmart when the small caliber gun in his pocket discharged, Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy David Hedrick said.

The weapon did not have a trigger guard, Hedrick said.

The CPSO’s firearms instructor has inspected the weapon and the discharge was the result of a firearms malfunction, he said.

Ford was in his uniform but was not on duty at the time. Hedrick said it is not typical for deputies to carry a weapon in their pocket.

Ford was transported to a Natchez hospital and treated, and will return to work in five days, Hedrick said.

“I would never advise anyone to have a weapon without a trigger guard,” he said. “Lee is a good officer, but it was a bad mistake, and thank God he is going to be OK and thank God nobody else at Walmart was injured.”

The sheriff’s office is looking into the matter further, Hedrick said.

Ford is a school resource officer for the CPSO, and is primarily assigned to Concordia Education Center in Ferriday.