A woman who told police that she was shot by a masked man admitted on Friday that she shot herself.

Police said that the woman, 25, said on Thursday that she shot herself in the shoulder while she was handling a gun outside her home on Pacific Street in Bellingham.

The woman then called 911 to report that she had been shot by a masked man as she answered the door.

Police said that the gun used in the shooting was recovered early in the investigation by investigators. It is a small caliber handgun that belongs to the woman's boyfriend. He was not at home at the time of the shooting.

The woman was in the hospital in satisfactory condition on Friday evening.

Bellingham police forwarded the case to the Whatcom County Prosecutor's Office for review.