A woman in Enid, Oklahoma was shot in the leg on Thursday when a dog jumped on top of a gun inside the vehicle she was in, causing it to fire.
Tina Springer, 44, was in the passenger seat of 79-year-old Brent Parks’ pickup truck as they were stopped at a railroad crossing on North 10th when the incident occurred.
Reports said Parks’ yellow Labrador retriever puppy was frightened by the train and jumped from the back seat of the vehicle onto the folding center console that had a .22 caliber handgun underneath it, according to Enid News & Eagle.
Police said the gun discharged and a bullet hit Springer in her left thigh. When he realized what had happened, Parks placed his belt around Springer’s leg to stanch the flow of blood, then called 911.
“The dog shot her?” the 911 operator is heard asking Parks in the audio recording. “Yeah,” Parks replied, adding that “he stepped on it and it went off.”
Later in the recording, Springer is heard crying in pain from the wound and Parks tells her “Come off of it. You’re tougher than that. I know.”
Once emergency crews arrived, Springer was taken to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Sgt. Robert Norton of the Enid Police Department said he has never seen anything quite like it. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a dog shooting a woman,” he commented.
Police said the fabric on the seat covers also could have gotten into the trigger well, causing it to fire. Additionally, Parks told authorities that he does not usually keep the gun loaded.
Police said both Parks and Springer’s stories regarding the incident checked out and that the evidence at the scene gave them no cause to suspect foul play.
“It’s important whenever you’re transporting firearms to make sure, especially that they’re in a secure location,” Norton concluded.
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