A black labrador has accidentally shot a woman after firing a loaded shotgun left unsecured in the back seat of a truck — in an incident that has left police investigating a case that sounds implausible but is, according to officers, entirely genuine.
The shooting took place in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, when the dog, left alone in the back of the vehicle, bounced between seats and somehow managed to pull the trigger of a loaded shotgun that had been left alongside it. A woman who had stopped at a nearby traffic light was struck in her right arm by a rogue pellet from the blast. Despite the alarming circumstances, her injuries were not life-threatening. No other injuries were reported.
Police were called to a convenience store following reports of a person having been shot, according to KNOP. Officers arriving at the scene found a parked truck with significant blast damage to one of its doors and quickly established that the labrador was responsible. The incident had initially been reported as involving a BB gun, but responding officers were later informed it was a shotgun.
The Scottsbluff Police Department has launched an investigation into the incident. Under Nebraska state law, it is illegal to travel on a public highway with a loaded shotgun inside a vehicle, an offence that typically carries a Class III misdemeanour charge and a minimum fine of $50.
Improbable as the episode sounds, it is not without precedent. In November last year, a Pennsylvania man was shot in the lower back by his own dog after placing a firearm on his bed while cleaning it. One of his dogs jumped onto the bed, causing the weapon to discharge a round into the man’s back. He survived.
