WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Accidents happen , said the Supreme Court , but the criminal penalties can still be tough , at least for one `` bungling bank robber . '' The case involved Christopher Michael Dean , arrested after he and a partner robbed a bank five years ago . By a 7-2 vote , the justices ruled Wednesday that the sentencing for a felon who accidentally fired a gun during a crime should be the same as if he had fired intentionally . The case involved Christopher Michael Dean , arrested after he and a partner robbed a Rome , Georgia , bank five years ago . The masked Dean had waved a gun and ordered patrons and staff to get down . While grabbing bills in one hand , the gun he was carrying in his other hand went off . The bullet hit a partition , and no one was injured . After the shot , Dean cursed and immediately ran out of the bank . Witnesses later testified he seemed surprised the weapon had gone off . Dean was charged in federal court and admitted committing the robbery . His sentence included a mandatory 10-year prison term for `` discharging '' a weapon during a crime . He appealed , saying the sentencing enhancement required proof that he intended to discharge the firearm , and his actions were accidental . But in his majority opinion , Chief Justice John Roberts said federal law `` does not require that the discharge be done knowingly or intentionally . '' In what has become a regular feature of his writing , the 54-year-old chief justice displayed a sense of creativity and sly humor in his conclusions . He openly called Dean the `` bungling bank robber '' and quoted one patron 's reaction to the bank gunshot : `` Melissa in the lobby popped up and said , 'Oh , my God , has he shot Nora ? ' `` Nora turned out to be all right . Justice John Paul Stevens dissented in the case , noting , `` Accidents happen , but they seldom give rise to criminal liability . Indeed , if they cause no harm they seldom give rise to any liability . The court nevertheless holds that petitioner is subject to a mandatory additional sentence -- a species of criminal liability -- for an accident that caused no harm . '' He was supported by Justice Stephen Breyer . Roberts , however , saved the best for last in his bench remarks , when summarizing the ruling . `` An individual who brings a loaded weapon to commit a crime runs the risk that the gun will discharge accidentally , '' he said . `` Those criminals wishing to avoid the penalty for an inadvertent discharge can lock or unload the firearm , handle it with care during the underlying violent or drug trafficking crime , leave the gun at home , or -- best yet -- avoid committing the felony in the first place , '' Roberts wrote . That brought barely contained laughter in the audience of several hundred gathered in the courtroom .
Robber appealed 10-year sentence for discharging a gun in a bank . Score: 6 Chief Justice John Roberts called Dean 'the bunging bank robber ' Roberts : Best way to avoid sentence for gun discharge is to leave gun behind .