SONOMA (CBS SF) — A Novato man died at a Sonoma gun range Thursday after apparently accidentally shooting himself in the chest.

Jay Sitton, 55, had been skeet shooting at the Black Point Sports Club on Lakeville Highway, according to Sonoma County Sheriff’s Lt. Bret Sackett.

A club employee found Sitton on the ground next to his pickup around 1:15p.m., according to Sackett.

Sitton had bought shooting supplies at the club office and went to the shooting range area, where he was the only one shooting, Sackett said.

He returned to the office an hour later to ask for more time on the shooting range, Sackett said.

Sitton had a gunshot wound to his chest and sheriff’s deputies found a shotgun inside the truck with its barrel facing toward the truck’s open door, Sackett said.

“It appears the subject accidently shot himself as he removed the shotgun from the back seat,” Sackett said in a statement.

Sitton was the only one using the range at the time, according to the article.

An autopsy was scheduled for Friday, a county coroner’s office spokeswoman said.

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