A dog left inside a parked pickup truck in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, accidentally triggered a loaded shotgun on May 23 at about 12:07 PM local time, sending a blast through the passenger-side door and injuring a woman waiting at a nearby traffic light [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The pickup truck was parked at the Short Stop convenience store when the vehicle owner went inside to shop and left the dog inside the truck [1, 2, 6, 4, 7]. Another passenger who had ridden along stepped outside but remained near the front passenger door [4]. While inside the truck, the dog moved across the rear seat and came into contact with the firearm, which was loaded and contained a live round in the chamber [1, 2, 4]. The gun discharged a single blast that penetrated the truck's passenger door [1, 6, 4, 7].
A woman waiting at a nearby traffic light with her right arm extended out the window sustained a pellet wound to her upper right arm from the shotgun blast [1, 3, 6, 4, 8, 7, 9]. She was taken to Regional West Medical Center, where authorities said her injuries were not life-threatening [2, 3, 6, 4, 7, 10].
Initial police reports erroneously indicated a BB gun was involved but were corrected after police arrived on scene to confirm it was a shotgun [1, 4, 10]. The Scottsbluff Police Department said Nebraska law prohibits transporting a loaded shotgun inside a vehicle [1, 2, 6, 4]. A police spokesperson said, "This case is a rare accident and no formal criminal charges have been filed against the dog's owner at this time" while the investigation continues [1, 6].
The shotgun discharge raised safety concerns, as a passenger stood near the front passenger door of the truck when the firearm was triggered [1, 10, 9]. Police warned that carrying a loaded shotgun in a vehicle is illegal under state law [1].
Authorities continue to investigate the unusual incident that took place at the gas station and convenience store. The next update on the case is pending as the investigation proceeds [1, 6, 7].
