A man has reportedly been "shot dead by his dog" after the canine stepped on the trigger while the pair were on a hunting trip in Turkey.
According to the Daily Mail, 32-year-old Ozgur Gevrekoglu was spending a weekend hunting with his dog in Kizlan Plateau, in the Alacam District of Turkey's Samsun province.
According to the Turkish outlet Turkiye, Gevrekoglu had recently become a new father just 10 days prior to the tragic incident. The Daily Mail confirms the man was a big dog lover due to his affection for the animals being demonstrated on his social media pages.
The man and his canine companion were packing up at the end of the weekend, getting ready to go home. Ozgur was putting his dog into the trunk of his car when its paw landed on the trigger of his shotgun, subsequently discharging a still-loaded shell in the direction of the hunter.
The gunshot is said to have killed him almost instantly, with Gevrekoglu's body being transported to Alacam State Hospital, before eventually being transferred to the state capital of Samsun for a post-mortem examination.
As cited by the Daily Mail, local media outlets are alleging that the claim that the man was killed by his dog could be a cover-up for a potential murder. Police and prosecutors believe no foul play took place, but the Public Prosecutor's Office is still investigating the case.
The Firearm Industry Trade Association offers strict guidelines to ensure weapons are handled safely so incidents like this do not take place. Its outlines that the muzzle should always be pointed in a safe direction and that firearms should always be unloaded when not in use.
"Never point your gun at anything you do not intend to shoot. This is particularly important when loading or unloading a firearm," the website states. "Unload your gun as soon as you are finished. A loaded gun has no place in or near a car, truck, or building. Unload your gun immediately when you have finished shooting, well before you bring it into a car, camp, or home."
Further guidelines state that ear protection should be worn whilst using firearms, as well as never relying on the gun's safety feature and ensuring the correct ammunition is used with the weapon.
The full National Rifle Association gun safety rules can be found here.
