A Hammond resident
sustained an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound on Sunday, the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources said.
According to
police, at 7:30 a.m. Christopher Morey, 23, was teal hunting in a marsh on
private property in the 3300 block of Martin Luther King Drive when he
briefly left his hunting spot to retrieve a bottle of water from another
hunter, leaving his 12-gauge pump shotgun resting on a mound of vegetation.
When Morey
returned, he grasped his shotgun with the muzzle pointing at his left
forearm and it’s believed that the gun then discharged when a piece of rigid
plant material pulled against its trigger, the DNR said. Morey sustained a
close-range gunshot wound to his left forearm caused by No. 7 steel shot
pellets.
“It is unknown
whether or not the firearm’s safety was on at the time of the incident, but
an inspection of the firearm determined it was functional,” the DNR said.
Morey was
transported to Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus in Gary, where he
underwent surgery, the DNR said.
“Indiana
Conservation Officers continue to stress the importance of keeping a
firearm’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times,” the DNR added.
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