Man accidentally shot while hunting near Brian Head in critical condition

Iron County Police vehicle | Stock Image, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — A man was transported to the hospital in critical condition after he was accidentally shot while hunting with a group in Iron County Sunday morning.

Police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the incident shortly before 8 a.m. after a man called 911 reporting that he had suffered a gunshot wound and was on his way to state Route 14 towards Cedar City, Iron County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Humphries said in a statement released Sunday.

Due to the remoteness of the area and lack of cell phone service, the call was dropped multiple times; however, dispatchers were able to pin the location of the caller using GPS coordinates that showed he was just outside of the Brian Head area when he made the call.

Iron County Sheriff’s deputies and Utah Highway Patrol troopers made their way to the area. Within five minutes, a trooper noticed a vehicle on SR-14 traveling at a high rate of speed and was able to stop the driver at milepost 13 where an ambulance was waiting.

The 36-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the right abdomen. He was transported to Cedar City Hospital in “critical, but stable condition,” the statement said.

Deputies investigating the incident learned the man was part of a hunting group in the area when he was shot, and preliminary findings indicate that an individual in the same hunting party fired the shot that injured him.

Police also determined the shot was fired from a Winchester 300 Mag rifle.

The parties involved were engaged in hunting activities but were not wearing hunter orange,” Humphries said in the statement, adding, “This is a tragic event which shows the importance of adhering to the rules and regulations when engaged in hunting activities.”

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and any possible charges are still pending.

“We want to express our deepest sympathy to the family and victim and hope for a full recovery,” the statement reads.

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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7 Comments

  • 42214 October 8, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    Sounds like he was hunting with Dick Cheney. Glad no animals were hurt in the incident.

    • mesaman October 8, 2017 at 8:41 pm

      Glad you were able to know which side you belonged to.

      • Chris October 9, 2017 at 12:19 pm

        unlike you who thinks you actually had a job all those years, instead of a government funded excuse for goofing off.

  • dogmatic October 9, 2017 at 9:15 am

    If they where hunting with Obama are Hillary they would let the guy die and denie it ever happened.

    • Chris October 9, 2017 at 12:18 pm

      but they would know how to spell “deny.”

  • hiker75 October 9, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Is anyone comforted to know the skill level of these people out hunting? I thought you were not supposed to shoot unless you knew what you were shooting at. When did that change?

  • Real Life October 9, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    Hillbillies. Woods. Beer. Guns.

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