(NewsReady.com) – Firearm owners generally agree that it’s important to keep their weapons out of the reach of people who do not know how to safely use the guns. That’s especially true for small children. Responsible gun owners not only keep their weapons away from small kids but teach them to respect firearms when they are old enough for the lessons to sink in. A Kansas man was recently killed when something else managed to breach that protocol with his rifle.
KAKE News reported Kansas’ Sumner County Sheriff’s Office revealed that around 9:40 a.m. on January 21, 30-year-old Joseph Smith was sitting in the front passenger seat of his truck when he was shot in the back. The perpetrator was not a criminal, however. Instead, police say his dog accidentally shot him.
According to authorities, Smith had hunting gear in the backseat of his truck with him, including his rifle. His beloved dog “stepped on the rifle causing the weapon to discharge,” the sheriff’s office reported.
Dog fatally shoots Kansas hunter in freak accident https://t.co/ZAphJsFIZR pic.twitter.com/e0lGsphITK
— New York Post (@nypost) January 25, 2023
Smith’s employer, Browns Plumbing Service, started a fundraiser to help his family cover his funeral costs and other expenses they will need in the ensuing months. As of January 25, it had raised over $16,000. He was reportedly not married and without children, but one of his colleagues described him as a “great friend, employee, cousin, brother, son, and dog owner.”
Chris Brown, the owner of the plumbing company, said Smith was the “most unique individual” he had ever met. He explained his late employee was loved by everyone, no matter what walk of life they came from. Smith also made his colleagues “laugh every morning” and was always there to lift the spirits of those around him.
It’s not clear what happened to the victim’s dog after the shooting. The police have not updated the media about the pooch.
Copyright 2023, NewsReady.com
