(CNN) -- A 12-gauge shotgun loaded with bird shot accidentally discharged Saturday when the owner opened its case at a gun show at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, injuring a retired sheriff's deputy and two other people, police said.
The gun owner, a 36-year-old man from Wilmington, North Carolina, was carrying the weapon through security at the show entrance and was unfastening the case on a table, authorities said. The owner planned to sell the shotgun at the show.
The deputy suffered a slight injury to his hand and was treated and released at a local hospital, said Joel Keith, chief of police of the North Carolina State Fair.
A 54-year-old woman from Benson, North Carolina, was being treated a wound to her right torso at a local hospital, and a 50-year-old man from Durham, North Carolina, was treated for an injured left hand, Keith told reporters.
"I want to emphasize that this is an accident," Keith said.
Wake County sheriff's investigators and the local prosecutor will determine whether to file charges against the shotgun owner, authorities said.
Detectives began interviewing the owner shortly after the 1 p.m. shooting, authorities said.
Sheriff Donnie Harrison said he was unsure whether it was legal to bring a loaded gun on state fairgrounds.
However, when the state fair is held in October, it is illegal to bring a loaded gun to the fairground because of the large crowds, authorities said.
Investigators will consult with the Wake County district attorney's office about Saturday's incident, the sheriff said.
"This is state property. That's something we're looking into," Harrison told reporters. "It's early right now."
Police are now banning any private gun sales -- in which visitors bring their firearms to sell at the gun show -- for the remainder of the two-day Dixie Gun & Knife Show, which concludes Sunday, Keith said. The gun show was closed after the shooting and will reopen Sunday.
Show vendors, however, can continue to sell firearms, which are already secured inside the show, Keith said.
