Know what's beyond your target

[gspn]

A few weeks ago there was a story about a family driving down the interstate on vacation. Suddenly, the drivers window blew out and their 11 year old daughter was shot in the neck.

Recently the story has been updated. At this point they suspect it was an accidental shooting by a guy who was shooting his pistol in the area.

http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/29636010/11-year-old-shot-while-in-car-traveling-on-i-55


"During the investigation, a man contacted Pemiscot County deputies saying he had been shooting his pistol in the same area the girl was shot. A preliminary investigation shows the shots could be in line with I-55 from where the man was target practicing.

"That is the bad thing around here; it's really flat and there's not really anywhere to do that except for the levies," Hunter Childers said. "I've never thought about it until this happened. I will definitely take more precautions if I see somebody doing target practice I will avoid it."

Two pistols have been taken to deputies for tests.

"It could have been worse than it was, because you said she's okay, but the people who did it should face charges," Smith said. "If you're going to do that you make sure you don't aim close to here or aim in this area."

Deputies said they believe it was an accident and no others are in danger."

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Props to the guy for manning up and coming forward on his own I guess.

It's one of the 4 rules for a reason.

 

[ironworkerwill]

I'm glad the girl is ok and the shooter had the testicular fortitude to do the right thing.

 

[Ironicaintit]

Mistakes happen, for sure. But that guy does deserve credit for steppimg up to take his medicine. Thats a man of integrity.

My dad always made sure I remembered that I own that bullet, from start to stop.

 

[swampcrawler]

Link isn't working for me. Where exactly was this? I live near the southern end of I55

 

[gspn]

Link isn't working for me. Where exactly was this? I live near the southern end of I55

Pemiscott County, MO

 

[bearman49709]

In 1985 or 1986 my folks neighbor was sitting in his back yard when he was shot in the leg. Some idiot 1/4 mile down the road road was shooting at blackbirds in a tree with a .357 mag.:banghead:

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

When the contractor re-sided my house he found a 30 caliber fmj bullet imbedded in the fascia over our bedroom windows.

 

[Mainsail]

Does anyone want to mention 'bump firing'? A local area that many used for shooting was shut down and I think it was due to yahoos bump firing their ARs. The shooting pit was in a deep ravine, so someone would have to be pretty careless or reckless to get a bullet out of it.

I found out because I was in there shooting one day and the property manager (tree farm) came by to kick me out. After he watched me and observed I was shooting in a safe direction he let me know that shooting was no longer allowed on the property, but allowed me to finish my shooting. Anyway, he said the nearby house, a half mile away, had complained their house had been hit.

 

[berettaprofessor]

A coworker lost her husband in exactly the OPs manner about 15 years back. He was driving down the road and a deer hunters bullet came through the window, hit his neck, and he bled out. As i recall, the shooter was convicted of accidental manslaughter. Wasnt a country road, either, it was a 2-lane US highway.

 

[gspn]

A coworker lost her husband in exactly the OPs manner about 15 years back. He was driving down the road and a deer hunters bullet came through the window, hit his neck, and he bled out. As i recall, the shooter was convicted of accidental manslaughter. Wasnt a country road, either, it was a 2-lane US highway.

I can't tell you how many deer blinds I can see from roads just like that around here. I know I'm always at the mercy of someone doing the right thing...but it just seems like a pretty stark reminder when I see a permanent stand with a window facing a 4 lane highway.

What a sad and totally avoidable death.

 

[X-Rap]

I saw a blind that aligned with highway 90 and a feeder out east of Langtry TX. couldn't believe the location.

 

[gunlaw]

Pemoscott county is in far southeastern missouri. It is delta country and flat as a pancake. I am not suprised that a bullet could travel quite a distance . there is nothing to stop it.

 

[Sunray]

Excellent illustration of why so many "I have a home range." posts get a "Know what's beyond your target.". No mention of how far the shooter was from the road, but the fall zone on a 1,000 yard CF range is 10 klicks.