A Salem man is recovering from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the jaw after he tripped while checking out noises outside his motor home early Tuesday, police said.

Frank R. Moore, 71, told police that he and his wife were asleep in their motor home at the Phoenix RV Park, at 4130 Silverton Road NE. He heard someone moving around outside the motor home, got his .22 caliber rifle and went to check it out, police said.

But he tripped and accidentally shot himself in the jaw, police said. Unable to communicate, he knocked on the motor home's bedroom window to awaken his wife who took him to the hospital.

Police found the rifle, but did not see any sign of the alleged prowler.

Deputies recommend that people call 911 if they hear suspicious noises or suspect there is a prowler on their property.

-- The Oregonian