Tax-Prep Session Ends With Stray Bullet, Bloody Sandals

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (CN) - A Palm Beach County man claims his tax specialist accidentally shot him after getting spooked by shadowy figures during a tax prep session.

In a circuit court complaint filed June 25, Joe Sanchez says he and his girlfriend were having her taxes done at the Boynton Tax Man office, when the proprietor, veteran tax consultant Anthony Mays, pulled a 9-mm Beretta handgun from a desk drawer.

Mays retrieved the firearm after he "observed two large shadows outside of an adjacent window," the lawsuit says.

The tax specialist accidentally fired off a round, which struck his finger and then hit Sanchez in the foot, according to the police report.

Police found Sanchez's bloody flip-flop at the scene. The two injured men were interviewed by law enforcement and transported to Bethesda Hospital for treatment, the police report says.

Sanchez "sustained serious injuries to his foot resulting in significant and permanent scarring and disfigurement," the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint lists a negligence count against Mays. His company, Professionals Tax Prep Service dba Tax Man, is named as a defendant under a vicarious liability count.

In his marketing and social-media material, Mays is portrayed as a devout Christian pastor and family man. He is described as a "master tax specialist" with 20 years experience in tax return preparation.

He has not responded to a request for comment.

Sanchez's attorney Alexander Hunt at Goldman & Daszkal acknowledges that the shooting appeared to be an accident.

Nevertheless, he said, "If you shoot someone in the foot, the law requires you to pay for their damages."

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