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A Pennsylvania man is on the mend after an unusual incident involving his pet dog, authorities report. The 53-year-old from Shillington was accidentally shot in the lower back when his dog inadvertently triggered a shotgun.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, November 11, at approximately 11 p.m., according to the Shillington Police Department. Captain Michael Schoone explained that the man was in the process of cleaning his shotgun when one of his dogs leapt onto the bed, causing the firearm to discharge.
“The exact circumstances remain unclear,” Captain Schoone told WFMZ. “The man isn’t certain at what point he was in the cleaning process. It’s possible the dog’s paw became entangled with the trigger while the safety was off, or there might have been a malfunction with the weapon itself. We haven’t confirmed the precise cause yet.”
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found the man conscious, albeit in pain, on the floor. Authorities informed ABC News that only the man, his son, and two dogs were present at the home during the incident. Notably, the son was not in the same room when the shooting transpired.
“He’s not sure what stage of cleaning he was in at the time, so it’s unsure if the dog’s paw may have gotten caught inside the trigger and the safety was off, or if there was some sort of manufacturer malfunction. That’s unknown at this time,” Schoone told WFMZ.
Police told ABC News the man was found on the ground but conscious when first responders got to the home. Police said the man, his son and two dogs were the only ones at the home but the son wasn’t in the same room when the shooting happened.
The man was taken to the hospital were he went into surgery for his injuries. His condition is unknown at this time, but police told WFMX he is expected to survive.
“Obviously, you should be treating every weapon as if it’s loaded. You know, all the cardinal rules: keeping it in a safe direction, finger off the trigger,” Schoone told WFMZ. “It’s the perfect storm. It was just the right place at the right time, or the wrong time.”
Police are still investigating the shooting, but it has been documented as an accidental shooting in nonprofit Gun Violence Archive’s record. It is one of the nearly 1,160 unintentional shootings recorded by the group this year.
