Police in Connecticut say an 81-year-old man who was lying in wait with a rifle for a pesky raccoon accidentally shot himself after sneezing and falling from a chair.

New Haven police say James Pace Sr. shot himself in the shin at his home Saturday night. The injury wasn't life-threatening.

Pace told authorities that a raccoon had been scratching at his back door for several days and he was waiting for it with a .22-caliber rifle.

Police say he sneezed and fell from his chair, then realized he had accidentally shot himself.

Pace's son drove him to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police detectives seized the rifle and are investigating the shooting.