The unbelievable unfolded in a Pennsylvania home late Tuesday night – a man became the accidental victim of his own firearm, triggered not by a human hand, but by a leaping dog.
The homeowner, in Shillington, Berks County, was meticulously cleaning his shotgun inside the house when the bizarre sequence of events began. He’d placed the loaded weapon on his bed, momentarily setting it aside as he sat down.
In a split second, one of his dogs bounded onto the mattress. The impact, investigators believe, somehow discharged the shotgun, sending a blast into the man’s lower back.
His son, present in the home at the time, immediately dialed 911, relaying the shocking details to emergency dispatchers. First responders arrived to find the man conscious, but seriously injured, on his bedroom floor.
Rushed to a local hospital, the man underwent immediate surgery. Medical staff later indicated a second operation would be necessary, potentially as early as the following day, to address the extent of his injuries.
The precise nature and severity of those injuries remained unknown as of Thursday, but the incident has left authorities baffled and emphasizing firearm safety. The son was thankfully not in the room when the accidental discharge occurred.
Police Corporal Michael Schoone described the situation as “the perfect storm” – a confluence of unfortunate circumstances. The investigation is focused on determining exactly how the dog triggered the weapon.
Was it a paw caught on the trigger with the safety disengaged? Or could a malfunction within the firearm itself have contributed to the accidental discharge? These questions remain unanswered.
“Obviously, you should be treating every weapon as if it’s loaded,” Schoone stressed, reiterating fundamental gun safety rules. “Keeping it in a safe direction, finger off the trigger… This was just the right place at the wrong time.”
A spent shell casing recovered from the weapon confirmed that it had indeed been fired during the cleaning process. For now, the incident is being treated as accidental, a stark reminder of the potential dangers surrounding firearms, even during routine maintenance.
