A 24-year-old Oak Creek man who police say accidentally shot his girlfriend on Valentine's Day has been charged with a felony.

Michael Schroettner was charged with injury by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon-domestic abuse after the Feb. 14 incident, in which his girlfriend was taken to Froedtert Hospital for treatment on a gunshot wound to the lower buttocks.

According to a criminal complaint:

Schroettner and the woman had just exchanged Valentine's Day gifts when he sat on the couch next to her with his firearm. Schroettner said he was "breaking down" the gun, and after putting the gun back together, he put the magazine back in and thought he turned the safety on.

However, the slide of the gun got stuck, and when Schroettner jiggled it back and forth, the gun went off. The bullet entered the woman's buttocks, passed through her body and ended up in her left leg. Hospital staff told her she was lucky it did not pass through any vital areas.

Both Schroettner and his girlfriend told police the shooting was accidental.

The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine and three years, six months in prison. A preliminary hearing is set for March 19.