A man narrowly escaped death after being accidentally shot by a dog whose owner left it inside a truck outside a convenience store in Nebraska, police said.
Incident Details
Officers responded to the Short Stop convenience store in Scottsbluff, about seven hours west of Omaha, at 12:07 p.m. on Saturday following reports of a shooting, according to KNOP.
Initially, officers from the Scottsbluff Police Department were told the shooting involved a BB gun. However, as law enforcement rushed to the store at 2002 Avenue I, they learned it was actually a shotgun that had been fired.
When authorities arrived, they found a truck with a camper attached and damage on the passenger-side door consistent with a shotgun blast. The truck's owner had gone inside the store while another person stood outside near the passenger-side door.
How the Dog Triggered the Gun
Police said the dog, which was sitting in the back seat, allegedly jumped from one side of the truck to the other and accidentally triggered a loaded shotgun inside the vehicle. The breed of the dog has not been revealed. The victim who was struck by the shotgun blast has not been identified.
The accidental discharge also caused a nearby woman to be hit by a pellet in her upper right arm. She was stopped at a traffic light on Avenue I with her arm resting out of the window, according to the outlet.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was rushed to the Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff for treatment. Her injury was not believed to be life-threatening.
The shooting remained under investigation by the Scottsbluff police.
