Dog fires shotgun from vehicle, injuring woman in Nebraska

A dog accidentally fired a shotgun from inside a vehicle in western Nebraska, injuring a woman who was stopped nearby in traffic, according to officials. Her injury was not believed to be life-threatening.

The incident happened at about 12:07 p.m. on Saturday at Short Stop, a convenience store in Scottsbluff, a city in western Nebraska near the Wyoming border. Officers were first called for a report that someone had been shot with a BB gun, but they were told while responding that the shooting involved a shotgun.

When officers arrived, they found a truck with an attached camper, according to KNOP, citing Scottsbluff police. The passenger-side door panel had damage consistent with a shotgun blast.

Police said the owner of the truck had pulled into the convenience store, and a passenger was standing near the front passenger-side door when a dog in the back seat moved from one side of the vehicle to the other.

The dog triggered a shotgun that had a live shell in the chamber, causing the firearm to discharge, according to police.

At the time, a woman was stopped at a traffic light with her arm resting out of the window. One pellet from the shotgun blast struck her in the upper right arm.

A family member took the woman to a local hospital for treatment. Police said the case remains under investigation.