ORANGE, Mass. (AP) — Officials in Massachusetts say an 18-year-old man is recovering after he accidentally shot himself in the chest while on a Christmas Eve hunting trip with family.
State environmental police say his rifle discharged as he tested the thickness of ice with the butt of the muzzle-loaded gun on Saturday morning in Orange.
Maj. William Bilotta says local police and the man’s family stanched the bleeding and helped him survive.
The man was identified by family members as Hunter Richardson, a freshman at Keene State College in New Hampshire.
Bilotta says the Orange man was properly licensed to carry and hunt. Police took the guns that were used and will likely return the firearms when the investigation is complete.
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