Man Shot Dead at Local Sportsman Club

[TechAlG]

http://wearecentralpa.com/content/fulltext/?cid=2496

Breaking news out of Blair County where a man was fatally shot in the head with a large caliber weapon at the Hollidaysburg Sportsman Club Wednesday night. State Police remain on the scene in the East Loop area of Frankstown Township and say their investigation is just beginning. Because of the weapon used, a .762 caliber Gatling gun mounted on the back of a Humvee - State Police say an explosives specialist unit out of the area has been called in. The incident happened around 8:30 Wednesday night and a number of witnesses were there when the shooting occurred. State Police say there was a weapons demonstration going on as part of an East Coast Guns event. An autopsy is planned Thursday and State Police plan to release more details at a news conference then.

I think they may be referring to a 7.62 mm, instead of .762?

 

[Mr White]

Damn! When I saw Blair County, I about crapped myself! I shoot matches at a sportsmens club in Blair County, but it wasn't that one.

The store they mention, East Coast Guns, is a pretty cool store. They have a lot of EBRs and a really good selection of pistols. And on top of that, the people who work there are actually friendly and helpful. I assume you've been there, TechAIG?

 

[armoredman]

Uh oh, read carefully, did someone get killed walking in front of a civilian owner/operated minigun? If someone with an NFA Class 3 firearm negligently killed someone, we can expect to see a storm of stupid anti-NFA laws introduced in Congress. If it was a MILITARY weapon operated by NG troopies as ademo, then it will be shrugged off. Oops.

 

[TechAlG]

The store they mention, East Coast Guns, is a pretty cool store. They have a lot of EBRs and a really good selection of pistols. And on top of that, the people who work there are actually friendly and helpful. I assume you've been there, TechAlG?

I have been there...I try to get there at least once a week...best store in the area. The only thing they don't carry is bulk lead bullets.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I'm thinking more along the lines of a ricochet.

 

[MD_Willington]

Guy was shot in the head yet they need an autopsy?

Massive trauma to skull and brain, blood loss, irritable bowel syndrome, that's it the IBS killed him, the shot to the head only complicated things...

 

[Mr White]

I suspect is was an Army gun.

Look at who's investigating this in the Police Public Info Report. But strangely enough, the paper doesn't mention that.

 

[Titan6]

I don't think any civilians have any GAU-17s in the US. I could be wrong though.

 

[Rumble]

Mr. White, I think the Ft. Belvoir people might be the "explosives expert" mentioned in the article.

 

[jefnvk]

Hmmmm.....

When I read gatling gun, I wonder if it is one of those hand crank conversions.

Granted, if it were a full auto mounted to a HUMVEE, I would have my doubts that it belonged to a civilian. Can't imagine there are too many of those in private hands, and personally, if I owned a $20,000+ gun, the last place I'd want is mounted to my car.

 

[1911RjB]

it could have been an older gatling gun, from back in the day but i doubt it most likly a military humvee and gun, probly being shot as a demo, which was stated in a previous post, not many people can afford one, or have it mount to a humvee with out the police noticeing whats going on.

 

[Kurt S.]

Autopsy?

MD Willington, I always shake my head in wonderment when I see that the victim was being autopsied in a case like this.

Can you picture it? My image is of Larry the Cable Guy as the pathologist.

Pathologist to orderly: "Well, dadgum, here's what killed the ol' boy. He's got a big ol' hole plumb in the middle of his haid. Now, who'd a thought".

 

[MD_Willington]

LOL Kurt...

I almost shot coffee out my nose...

 

[Archie]

Guys....

For sure in California, and probably in many other states, an autopsy is required by law in any 'unattended' death. An 'unattended' death being one not being under immediate care of a physician. The law was inacted in an attempt to be sure people who die on their own really died on their own.

Also, since toxicology and such is always part of the autopsy, the autopsy may help answer the question of "Just how did his head get in the way of that gattling gun anyhow?"

Still, this sort of thing is never good press. It doesn't matter people get killed by cars hand over fist and no one seems to notice.

It seems odd to me; I'm pretty careful when it comes to my head and things that might penetrate it. I'd like to hear the details when they figure out exactly what happened.

And I have to admit, I was impressed by a .762 caliber machinegun! That's about 12 bore.

 

[Master Blaster]

The national guard is my bet, but hey maybe it is a .76 calier gattling gun with a crank, and the reason they called in an explosives expert is because the ammo is loaded with black powder.

I hope it wasnt a chick in a bikini firing the gattling gun. Cause I hate to see bikinis banned.

 

[Mr White]

Link to Article

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. -- An off-duty police officer working with a military-style machine gun during an exhibition at a gun club was killed when the weapon discharged, state police said.

Michael Kurty, 36, of Hollidaysburg, was shot once in the head when the Gatling gun mounted on the back of a Hummer discharged last night during the demonstration.

Police were still trying to determine the exact cause.

"We don't know if it malfunctioned, or if he was trying to clear it, but it appears to be an accidental shooting," state Trooper Jeff Petucci said today.

More than 100 people were at the Hollidaysburg Sportsmens Club in Frankstown Township, Blair County, when the shooting occurred.

The machine gun belonged to East Coast Gun Sales, said John Hageman, special agent for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The company was offering a weapons exhibition and hosting a pistol shoot and dinner for those attending a three-day conference at the Blair County Convention Center.

Ofc. Kurty was an auxiliary police officer in Duncansville and also worked with the county sheriff's department. He did training for many local police departments and "was proficient in all types of firearms," according to a state police report.

Ofc. Kurty was working for East Coast Gun Sales at the demonstration, Tpr. Petucci said.

State police called in experts today from ATF and the Army base in Fort Belvoir, Va., "to help clear the weapon and make sure it is safe," Tpr. Petucci said.

The 7.62 mm "minigun" is similar to ones used by the military on a wide variety of aircraft. It is rarely seen outside the military, Mr. Hageman said.

Club secretary William Johnson Jr. said today he had been told the victim was operating the gun at the time it discharged, and that the shooting appeared to be accidental. Mr. Johnson said he was not at the club, which had been rented out by East Coast Gun Sales for the dinner.

Paul Cunningham, the manager of East Coast Gun Sales' store in Duncansville, could not be reached today. An employee at the store referred questions to state police.

The conference, sponsored by a maker of software for prisons, was canceled today.

If you're "proficient in all types of firearms", wouldn't gross negligence be the only way you could unintentionally shoot yourself in the head? How many of the Four Rules would you have to break to do that?

Had he followed #1, he wouldn't have put his head in front of the barrel, ever.
Had he followed #2, he definitely wouldn't have put his head in front of the barrel, ever.
Lets give him the benefit of the doubt and say he followed #3, but that the gun malfunctioned.
As for #4, he should have probably instead paid closer attention to what was in front of his target in this case.

 

[Blackbeard]

Sounds like they were playin' around with "ole painless". Explains why it was mounted.

 

[Sistema1927]

How in the world do you shoot yourself in the head with a mini-gun?

So much for being "proficient in all types of firearms"!

 

[elrod]

Master Blaster

Cause I hate to see bikinis banned.

Why would you hate that?

Sounds like a plan to me!!!!

 

[Blackbeard]

Here's a YouTube video that shows how you can shoot yourself in the head with a .50:

Man hit in head with ricochet

 

[The Unknown User]

This reminded me of a video I saw a few days ago: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/797523/security_suv_for_secert_service_and_president/

There are potentially NSFW ads on that site, so you've been warned.

 

[Exposure]

A minigun is a tricky thing to clear. If there is ammunition in the feeder/delinker and the barrels are rotated by hand it will discharge.

I suppose it's possible there was a malfunction and the guy stepped in front of the barrels and either he, or someone, rotated the barrels and a round discharged.

Why on Earth someone would stand in front of a loaded weapon is beyond me, but how else could this accident have happened?

Very sad story.

 

[Mannlicher]

Nothing like a fire demonstration by experts.

 

[Blackfork]

Sorry to hear the news.

Certainly a brutal reminder to NEVER go outside the gun safety rules.

Never.

This guy sounds skilled and knowlegible. Just made a crucial mistake.

Hope his family weathers this awful time as best as possible.

 

[Mr White]

I agree, Blackfork. Its easy to Monday Morning QB what happened but the sad truth is that either something went terribly wrong or someone did something terribly wrong.

In the end, a 36 year old guy is dead, maybe left behind a wife, kids, parents, brothers and sisters. All of whom need prayers right now. I'll say a few for all of them.