NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) said a man found dead inside a vehicle Tuesday was accidentally shot.

Officers responded to the area of Rivers Avenue and Dalton Street around 6:20 a.m. following a reported traffic accident.

“First responders assisting the victim found a wound in the victim’s groin area consistent with a gunshot,” a report from NCPD said.

The report stated a witness told authorities the victim’s vehicle was headed east on Rivers Avenue near Mall Drive when they attempted to make a U-turn but instead drove through a parking lot and hit an unoccupied vehicle.

The Charleston County Coroner’s Office later identified the victim as Ahmad Gardner, 35, Charleston.

Police found a firearm, shell casing, and a projectile after searching the victim’s vehicle.

Gardner was the only person inside the vehicle, according to the report.

Officials determined Gardner’s cause of death to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an accidental discharge.

An investigation is underway by NCPD.