Aspiring Actor Shoots Himself in Drama School Exercise

A student at a premier Beverly Hills acting school was in critical condition Tuesday after he shot himself in the mouth with a pistol while performing a scene from the movie “Lethal Weapon.”

Adam Smith Hancock’s teacher and fellow students in the audience believed for a moment that the gunshot and his fall to the stage were part of his performance, but within moments they realized that he was not acting and called for help, school officials said.

Hancock, 22, of La Crescenta, was rushed to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

The shooting recalled a similar tragedy four years ago when actor Jon-Erik Hexum died five days after accidentally shooting himself in the right temple with a blank-loaded pistol while on the set of the television series “Cover Up.”

On Monday, Hancock was one of about 20 students in a beginning acting class offered by the respected Beverly Hills Playhouse and conducted twice a week in the Eagle Theatre, in the 100 block of North Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

Hancock enrolled in the class about three months ago, said Irene Dirmann, administrator of the school, which is operated by film and stage director Milton Katselas.

The class is intended for students who are considering stage and screen acting careers, Dirmann said. She described Hancock as “gregarious, happy, cheerful and well-liked, an ‘up’ kind of guy.”

Students in the class were assigned to act out favorite scenes of their choice on Monday afternoon, and Hancock was the second student to take his turn on the stage of the 50-seat theater.

Hancock selected a scene from the film “Lethal Weapon,” in which actor Mel Gibson portrays a police officer distraught by the death of his wife and contemplating suicide. The Gibson character places a gun in his mouth but does not pull the trigger.

Hancock “was portraying that same part,” said Beverly Hills Police Lt. Bob Curtis. “When he put the weapon in his mouth, for some unknown reason it discharged.”

The weapon, a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol, contained a live round, Curtis said. Hancock took the gun to the class as a prop and was believed to have borrowed it, Curtis said.

Investigators were considering the shooting an accident, Curtis said. “Only he could say if it was accidental or suicidal, but there was no indication--no notes--that he intended to commit suicide,” Curtis said.

“It’s against our policy to use real guns,” said Dirmann, who explained that the instructor and fellow students apparently assumed that Hancock was using a toy or, at least, an unloaded weapon.

She said Hancock had no stage or screen credits but was pursuing acting as a career and was doing well in the introductory class.

“Part of the process (of the workshop) is that they come with aspirations and dreams. Some fade out, and some go on. He was planning to go all the way,” she said.

The Beverly Hills Playhouse offers workshops for the whole spectrum of actors, from hopefuls to veterans.