Two young children wounded when their father accidentally fired gun inside vehicle

A 2-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl were wounded in a hunting accident on Monday east of Sweet Home, Oregon, authorities said. The children and their older 6-year-old brother were hunting at the time of the incident with their father, 27-year-old Zack Davis, and his father, 54-year-old Bob Davis, according to Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley.

The five Sweet Home residents were near Green Peter Dam when the father of the children saw what he believed to be a deer and got out of the pick-up truck, Riley said. While walking back to the truck, the man’s .30-30 rifle accidentally discharged, and the bullet entered the truck through the driver’s door, authorities said.



The bullet struck both the 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy, Riley said. The boy was hit in the right leg above the ankle, breaking a leg bone. He was taken to a Lebanon Community Hospital and then transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. The boy’s condition was unknown, but Riley said the injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

The 4-year-old girl was struck in the left shin and taken to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, where she had surgery to remove a metal fragment from her leg, Riley said. She is in a stable condition. Capt. Kevin Guilford of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said that the number of children injured was revised from three to two after a cut on the 6-year-old’s hand was determined not to be shooting related. The sheriff’s office continues to investigate. The man has not been arrested.