11/25/2019
A boy was injured in a hunting accident Monday in Lonoke County, the sheriff’s office reported.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials said a 13-year-old boy was shot in the arm while exchanging a gun with his stepmother–who was getting into a deer stand.
“It’s disappointing,” said Trey Reid, spokesperson for Arkansas Game and Fish. “Folks weren’t following the proper safety procedures while hunting. and unfortunately paid the price for it.”
Reid said the 13-year-old was sent to the hospital where he underwent surgery.
Reid said hunters should never try to hand a loaded gun to someone.
“If the muzzle had been pointed toward the torso, or the head, it wouldn’t have been as good an ending as it was,” he said.
Reid said hunting accidents like this one are actually quite rare. He said most hunting accidents in Arkansas don’t involve firearms–they happen when hunters fall from elevated stands.
Reid reports 12 hunting accidents in the state so far this year.
No charges had been reported.