According to information from the Brown County Sheriff’s Department:

On December 16th at approximately 2:26 pm, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 24500 Block of Hwy 279 N. where a 70-year-old male was involved in a hunting accident causing him to be shot in the left upper arm with a 12-gauge shotgun at point blank range.

The Lake Bridge Volunteer Fire Department, along with Deputy Herring, arrived on scene and began life saving measures. Deputy Herring placed a department issued tourniquet on the victim’s arm, saving his life while waiting for EMS and AirEvac to arrive on scene. The victim was transported via helicopter to a hospital in Fort Worth.

During the investigation, it was determined that the shotgun was loaded with the muzzle in the air as the vehicle drove down a dirt lane in an attempt to jump a pond for ducks. The vehicle hit a pothole and caused something to strike the trigger of the firearm causing it to discharge, striking the front passenger in the left upper arm and the rear left passenger to be struck in the right ear with a few pellets. The left rear passenger refused medical treatment. There is no further information of the victim’s condition available at the time of this press release.