The Pine County Sheriff's Department reports that two separate incidents where people accidentally shot themselves occurred on Saturday, Sept. 8.
The first incident occurred at the shooting range in the Chengwatana State forest.
It was reported that the shooter had a handgun in an ill-fitting holster. When the individual belt over, the handgun fell from the holster and fired as it hit the ground, shooting the victim in the leg. The bullet went through the shooters leg and missed the others shooting at the gun range.
The second incident occurred a few hours later in the Hinckley area.
A group of people were shooting various guns at metal targets when one of the onlookers was struck by a ricochet. The victim was hit in the arm just above the elbow by the bullet's copper jacket. The jacket had lost most of its energy by the time it struck the onlooker, so it did not penetrate far into their arm; however, the copper jacket had flattened out significantly causing a large entry wound.
Both injuries were not life threatening and the victims were treated at nearby hospitals and sent home.
