A routine stop at a Nebraska convenience store turned into an unexpected emergency last Saturday when a dog accidentally discharged a loaded shotgun inside a parked truck, sending a pellet into the arm of a woman waiting at a nearby traffic light.
The incident unfolded in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, shortly after midday, drawing a police response to the Short Stop convenience store on the city’s main corridor.
Officers arrived after receiving a call reporting that someone had been struck by a projectile.
First responders initially worked under the assumption that a BB gun was to blame, a reasonable starting point given that shotgun pellets — small, round, and metallic — share a visual resemblance to common BB ammunition.
That assumption was quickly corrected once officers examined the scene.
The weapon involved turned out to be a 12-gauge-style shotgun, and not a BB gun of any kind, according to People magazine, which first reported the discovery.
Parked just outside the Short Stop was a truck with a camper attachment. Its owner had pulled in to make a brief stop at the store.
Left alone in the back seat was the owner’s dog.
The animal moved around the back seat and, at some point, stepped directly onto the shotgun, depressing the trigger, per ABC News.
A live shell was chambered and ready to fire.
The force of the blast tore through the passenger side door and sent the weapon’s payload scattering toward the street.
At precisely that moment, a woman sat in her vehicle at the adjacent traffic light with her arm resting along the open window frame.
A single pellet found its mark and struck her in the arm. Her injury, while certainly startling, was not life-threatening.
A family member transported the woman to a nearby hospital for evaluation, according to local television station KNOP-TV.
No criminal charges have been announced by law enforcement as of the time of reporting.
Scottsbluff police took the opportunity to educate the public on the state’s firearms transport laws, noting that Nebraska statutes explicitly prohibit traveling with a loaded shotgun inside a vehicle.
“The Scottsbluff Police Department reminds the public that per Nebraska State Statute, it is illegal to travel with a loaded shotgun in a vehicle,” a department spokesperson told People magazine.
The department further stated that the episode “serves as an important reminder that firearm safety is of the utmost importance when handling, possessing, transporting, or maintaining any type of firearm.”
