Man accidentally shot in arm while duck hunting in NW Indiana

A northwest Indiana was accidentally shot while hunting Sunday morning on private property in Gary.

Conservation officers were called about 7:30 a.m. to the 3300 block of Martin Luther King Drive in Gary to investigate a hunting incident, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

A 23-year-old Hammond man was duck hunting in a marsh, when he went to get a bottle of water and left his 12-gauge pump shotgun resting against vegetation, according to DNR.

When her returned, he picked up the gun with the muzzle pointing at his left forearm, and it went off.

“It is believed the movement of the gun caused the trigger to be pulled against a rigid plant material resulting in a close range gunshot wound to his left forearm by number 7 steel shot pellets,” a statement from DNR said.

It was not known if the gun’s safety was on, but an inspection showed it was working correctly, DNR said.

The victim’s brother was hunting nearby and called 911. The injured man was taken to Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus in Gary, DNR said.

“Conservation officers continue to stress the importance of keeping a firearm’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times,” DNR said.