A Cashmere youth was accidentally shot in the leg while duck hunting in the Rock Island area Thursday. Douglas County Sheriff, Harvey Gjedal reports in a news release:

“On 12/29/16 at approximately 4:17 PM RiverCom dispatch received a call of a gunshot injury by the River near Rock Island. Deputies arrived on the scene and found a male with a gunshot wound to his right leg. The injury appeared severe so a Deputy quickly applied first aid in the form of a tourniquet above the injury.”

“The victim was a 14 year old male from Cashmere. An ambulance arrived and transported the victim to Confluence Hospital. The investigation revealed that the 14 year old victim and his 17 year old friend had been hunting near the river. The victim had shot a duck. He handed his 12 gauge shotgun with the safety off to his friend and went to retrieve his catch. The friend was holding the shotguns by their slings. As he walked toward the river, a branch snagged the trigger and the shotgun went off. The shot hit the victim’s right calf. Evidence and witnesses statements indicated that the victim was shot accidentally.”



The sheriff said he was grateful for the quick first aid work by the Deputies and quick response by ambulance personnel. He added that he was also relieved the young victim was not hurt worse. Gjesdal says, “hunting is a wholesome sport, but one can never be too vigilant about safety.”