Two accidental shootings reported in short span

By KRIS REILLY
EDITOR

Two accidental shootings were reported in wilderness areas near Lucerne Valley in a three-day span.

According to initial reports from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, both victims appeared to survive their injuries and their were no signs of foul play in either case.

On Oct. 22 at 8:25 p.m., a caller reported an accidental shooting near Highway 18 in the area between Lucerne Valley and Big Bear.

The victim was camping with his family when a .22 rifle unexpectedly discharged and hit him in the stomach. The victim, a male in his mid forties from Mentone, was awake and breathing.

Due to poor cell phone reception, the caller took the victim to the Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Cushenbury Plant to use the phone.

The victim was later airlifted from Pioneer Park to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and was in stable condition.

The campers had apparently been using the weapon to shoot at stationary targets, and the gun went off while the victim was loading items into the back of a pickup truck. There were no apparent signs of suspicious circumstances.

On Oct. 20 at 3:32 p.m., deputies received a report of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound near Anderson Dry Lake, east of town.

A woman was mining for gold in the Ord Mountains with a .38 revolver strapped to her hip. While she was chipping away at rocks inside a mineshaft, the weapon fell out of the holster and discharged, injuring her left shoulder.

The woman was transported for medical aid. Her injury was not considered life-threatening.