8-year-old boy hunting chipmunks accidentally shoots uncle in head
An eastern chipmunk. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service File Photo)
MILTON, N.H. - An 8-year-old boy who was hunting chipmunks accidentally shot his 32-year-old uncle in the head, authorities in New Hampshire said.
Police officers and an ambulance crew responded to a report of an accidental shooting in Milton on Friday. The medics brought the wounded adult to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where he was expected to recover, police said.
"It was determined that the nephew and the 32-year-old male were shooting chipmunks and the bullet ricocheted after killing the chipmunk and struck the 32-year-old uncle in the head," police said in a Facebook post.
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Milton Police Chief Richard Krauss called it a "truly just a freak accident," according to a report by the Foster's Daily Democrat.
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"It's not against the law for anyone to teach a child how to shoot and take them hunting, even at 8 years old," Krauss said. "There are kids who learn how to hunt and shoot a lot younger than that."
New Hampshire has no minimum age for hunting. State law requires hunters under 16 to be accompanied by a licensed hunter 18 or older, according to the state's Fish and Game Department.
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