A woman suffered a non-life-threatening injury Saturday after police said a dog inside a parked truck triggered a loaded shotgun at a Nebraska gas station, sending a pellet into a bystander waiting at a nearby traffic light.
The incident happened shortly after noon at Short Stop, a gas station and convenience store at 2002 Avenue I in Scottsbluff, according to KNOP News 2.
Scottsbluff police said the truck’s owner had pulled into the convenience store. A passenger stood near the front passenger-side door while a dog moved around in the back seat.
The dog triggered a shotgun that had a live shell in the chamber, causing the firearm to discharge, police said.
Officers found damage to the truck’s passenger-side door consistent with a shotgun blast.
A woman had stopped at a traffic light on Avenue I with her arm resting outside her vehicle window when one pellet from the shotgun blast struck her upper right arm, according to police.
A family member took the woman to Regional West Medical Center for treatment. Police said the injury did not appear life-threatening.
Police did not report any other injuries.
Officers initially responded to a BB gun report, but dispatch later told them the incident involved a shotgun, according to KNOP.
The Scottsbluff Police Department continues to investigate.
Nebraska law prohibits carrying a shotgun with shells in the chamber, receiver, or magazine in or on any vehicle on a highway, except as otherwise permitted by law. A violation is a Class III misdemeanor punishable by a fine of at least $50.
