A Kansas man has died after he was shot by his dog in a tragic hunting accident on Saturday morning.

According to several press releases obtained by People, 30-year-old Joseph Austin Smith of Witchita was fatally shot when the canine discharged the firearm while the two were inside his pickup truck.

Per the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, the accidental shooting took place in the area of 80th Street South and River Road, which is north of Geuda Springs, as stated by ABC affiliate KAKE.

Smith had been sitting in the front passenger seat of his truck when his dog "stepped on the rifle" in the back seat, police say. The bullet hit the victim in the front seat.

"Responding units arrived within minutes of the 911 call and started CPR," the sheriff's office said.

Smith worked as a plumber at Browns Plumbing Services in Wichita, the owner of the company said on Tuesday.

"Joe is absolutely the most unique individual I have had the pleasure of meeting. He was loved by all of us from all walks of life and loved the same," owner Chris Brown wrote in a GoFundMe set up to help the victim's family with funeral costs.

"He made us laugh every morning whether it was at him or because of him he always made sure to be a positive light at my company. No matter how bad or stressful my or our day was, Joe always had something to lift our spirits."

Brown continued: "I have been a plumber for a long time and met many many different guys but never have I met another Joe and I am confident there may not be another.

"If you were lucky enough to know, be a friend or family of Joe, you understand what a great loss this is to the world. We must all learn to navigate without him in it. Please consider donating if you can, as any amount will truly help.

"We are very grateful for any donation during this very difficult time. If you are not able to donate, it would mean the world to us for you to share this link, someone else may be able to.

"I know it would mean a lot to myself, the rest of our crew, family and friends if you also shared a memory or story of Joe and what he has meant to you. We will forever feel so blessed to have him in our lives for just a short time. We will never forget you, Joe."

Per data from the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than a hundred unintentional shootings in the United States since the start of 2023.

Over 1,600 unintentional shootings were reported last year, according to the non-profit organization's website. More than 2,400 gun deaths have been recorded in the country in 2023 thus far.

(Stock image of a man walking his dog.) Featured image credit: Craig Stennett / Alamy

A German man has been stripped of his firearms license after being shot by the most unlikely of assailants - his very own dog.

Courts in Berlin dismissed an appeal against a ruling that stated a Munich man is unfit to carry a gun after an incident that occurred back in November 2016. The man, who is reported as a passionate hunter, was stripped of his gun license and hunting permit by Bavarian authorities after being shot in the arm, when his dog managed to trigger a loaded gun that was lying in the back of his car.

In the end, the court decided to strip the man of his license "because it must be assumed that he will handle firearms and ammunition carelessly in future as well", and the name of the man, as well as information about the breed of the dog involved, have not been released to the public.

The man can appeal the verdict, but this is far from the first time that a man has been shot by his own dog.

Back in October of last year, New Mexico resident Sonny "Tex" Gilligan was in his pickup truck when the 74-year-old was shot by Charlie, a 120-pound Rottweiler mix who had slipped in the back of the vehicle, getting his paw stuck on the trigger of a shotgun.

"Charlie got his foot in the trigger of the gun and I leaned forward and he slipped off the seat and caught the trigger — and it shot. It was a freak accident but it’s true, that’s what happened... I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too. I could see the blood and I felt it."

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Gilligan was shot in the back, breaking his ribs, shattering his collarbone and causing several other serious injuries, with the 74-year-old initially believing that somebody had shot him from outside the car, before belatedly realising that the shooter was his own dog.

According to a statement from spokeswoman Kelly Jameson of Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, the shooting was treated as an accidental one, and that Gilligan had not expressed a desire to press charges against his dog.

"The gun was positioned in the truck with the barrel facing up, towards Mr. Gilligan. Apparently Mr. Gilligan ... had placed his gun in the floorboard of the truck with the butt of the gun on the floorboard. The investigation is being handled as an accidental shooting."

Gilligan maintained a healthy sense of humour about the entire ordeal, adding that he had already forgiven his dog for shooting him in the back. "[Charlie] did not mean to do it," he said. "He's a good dog." Although he may end up losing his gun license over the shooting, let's also hope that the man shot by his dog in Germany can learn to forgive his trigger-happy canine.

A grieving family has revealed that their beloved pet dog was shot and killed by a deer hunter after being mistaken for a coyote.

As reported by TMZ, the Pennsylvania family has revealed that family member Chris Heller was walking their eight-year-old malamute-mix, named Hunter, when the tragic incident occurred.

In a Facebook post, Heller's wife, Jennifer, said that Hunter had been wearing reflective collars and harnesses, as they walked down a "very commonly used walking path" by their home in Berks County.

Also on the walk was the family's other dog, a German Shepherd named Freya.

While on the walk, Chris un-leashed Hunter, but the family pup stayed close by.

When Chris came across a group of deer hunters, he was informed that there had been an extension on the hunting season, per Jennifer's Facebook post. After informing the hunters which walking path he and the two dogs would be taking, one of the hunters "communicated to their group that a man and 2 large dogs were in the area".

Sadly, before Chris could once again leash his dogs, Hunter was "shot in the gut by a hunter with a scope on his rifle".

According to his wife, Chris yelled out "Who shot my dog?" - while carrying the fallen Hunter 100 yards.

Despite two of the hunters driving Chris and the wounded Hunter to a local vet, the family's beloved dog passed away.

"He suffered in pain for around 20 minutes," Jennifer wrote. "The hunter who shot him didn’t apologize, hasn’t reached out to us to ask if there is anything we need. Other members of his party called to check on us."

Jennifer then revealed that the hunter than had shot the family's dog "thought it was a coyote".

Now, the family says it wants the hunter to lose his "hunting privileges for a few years and have to take a hunter safety course before he can hunt again".

"I want to help educate hunters with actual color photos of the difference between a pet dog and a coyote," Jennifer writes.

Additionally, the family has launched a GoFundMe in an effort to raise $10,000 for legal fees in relation to their dog's death.

"Coyote hunting is legal in Pennsylvania, but even large Eastern coyotes are about 1.5ft tall and 40lbs whereas Hunter was almost 90lbs and 3ft tall," the family writes in the fundraiser's description.

They add that local police and representatives of the Pennsylvania Game Commission have determined the incident to be a "tragic mistake" and that "no game law violations were detected".

TMZ confirms that no arrests were made in relation to the incident, with Northern Berks Regional Police Chief James Keiser telling TMZ that Hunter wasn't under the control of the owner - adding that the dog should have been on a leash.

"Despite multiple offers and opportunities, the deer hunter does not want to meet to apologize and refuses to come forward to them out of fear of the social media backlash," the description continues.

The family says it has met with an attorney who believes "they have a strong foundation for a civil case and can hold accountable the parties".

"Hunter was so loved by so many people and shouldn’t have had his life ended," Jennifer writes.

Featured image credit: MShieldsPhotos / Alamy

A bizarre incident involving the shooting of a woman by a dog has grabbed headlines across the US.

A woman was stopped at a traffic light in Nebraska, while the dog was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked truck at a nearby convenience store.

Police in Scottsbluff say they were called to the store on Saturday (May 23) at 12:07 pm, following reports of a person being shot by a BB gun.

However, they were soon told that a shotgun was involved instead, and they found a truck with an attached camper, with the passenger door showing damage consistent with a shotgun blast.

Ordinarily, suspects would be identified following an investigation, but there was only one being in the car - a dog, which was sitting in the back seat.

The pooch had moved from one side of the vehicle to the other, triggering the firearm to fire, as there was a live shell in the chamber, while the truck's owner wasn't in the vehicle.

A dog was said to have shot a woman with a shotgun by accident. Credit: Jaromir/Getty

Legal analyst reveals who is at fault

Some may chuckle at the thought of a dog being handcuffed before being taken to doggie jail, but obviously, this is not the case.

Queen City News' Chief Legal Analyst Khalif J. Rhodes told the news channel what legal action can be taken next.

He revealed that there were several previous instances where something similar has happened, seeing several people severely injured, while one sadly died.

He explained: "You have to look at a couple of things. These type of cases will come down to recklessness. Did this individual have the firearm loaded?

"That's going to be the first in this case in Nebraska. Ironically, it is illegal to have your firearm in the car loaded while traveling in Nebraska, so if it's loaded in that would have already been an issue."

He said that it would be "really fact specific", adding: "That's why investigators say law enforcement officers said this case is still being investigated.

"Ironically, this woman, when she was first shot, they thought it was a BB gun because it was shotgun with pellets," he explained, before they realised it was a shotgun that was fired.

Carrying a loaded firegun while driving in Nebraska is considered illegal. Credit: Pexels

Police statement on the incident

As a result of the shotgun going off, a woman stopped at a traffic light nearby was shot in the arm, though her injury was believed not to be life-threatening, as she was transferred to hospital.

Police have issued a statement to the public, reading: "The Scottsbluff Police Department reminds the public that per Nebraska State Statute, it is illegal to travel with a loaded shotgun in a vehicle," according to People.

"This incident also serves as an important reminder that firearm safety is of the utmost importance when handling, possessing, transporting, or maintaining any type of firearm."

An investigation is currently ongoing.

Featured image credit: Credit: Jaromir/Getty

A woman has been fatally shot and her boyfriend wounded by a gunman who attacked the couple over the way they were talking to their dog as is was pooping.

The incident took place as the couple was walking their dog in Coors Field, Denver, on Wednesday.

The Denver Post says that Isabella Thallas, 21, and her partner Darian Simon were talking to their dog as it was pooping in the park.

More on this story in the video below:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/sS232iAF-Q0L14jDU.mp4||sS232iAF]]

However, the couple were then verbally engaged by 36-year-old suspect Michael Close as he quarrelled with them from inside of his apartment.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by the newspaper: "The suspect got into a verbal altercation with the victims related to the victims telling the dog to poop."

Police records state that Close reportedly asked the couple if they were going to train their dog or just yell at it.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2071769012871934&set=a.125506217498233&type=3&theater]]

Simon then allegedly tried to ignore Close, before shots were fired - striking him twice and killing girlfriend Isabella.

Later that day, police arrested Close as he was driving on a nearby highway. A rifle and handgun were found in his car, police say.

[[facebookwidget||https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157621648649001&set=a.452366019000&type=3&theater]]

Isabella's mother, Ana Thallas, provided the tragic news of her daughter's death in a Facebook post. She wrote:

"Today we lost a daughter, sister, grand daughter, niece and friend. The Lord called her home and she is resting in peace with Him.

"We asked that you kindly respect our privacy and Isabella’s life by keeping this positive and loving."

On Thursday night, friends and family gathered for the candlelight vigil at West 31st and Fox Street.

Per CBS, Isabella's father said: "I have never gone to sleep crying and woke up crying in my life. She was walking her dog with her boyfriend, that was it."

A GoFundMe online fundraiser has since been set up to help cover Isabella’s funeral costs. As of this writing, raised over $49,000 has been raised.