A US has man accidentally shot himself in the butt.

Daniel Leatherman, 26, from Arizona, told police he injured himself when he went to investigate an argument between a man he knew and a taxi driver outside his apartment.

Leatherman explained he took his gun with him for protection, as the man who was causing the racket, Cody Nunn, had assaulted him in the past.

Leatherman accidentally dropped his weapon as he tried to conceal it behind his back. The gun went off as it hit the floor and a bullet got lodged in his buttocks.

Leatherman was taken to hospital and released later on the same day.

Nunn - who was said to be drunk and disruptive when he arrived at the hospital with Leatherman - was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct.