The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office says a 14-year-old was airlifted after a shotgun malfunctioned and its barrel exploded.
On Tuesday around 11:35 a.m. investigators responded to the area of Nielsen Road and Route 96A in Fayette for the report of a teen who had sustained a gunshot wound to the arm
Upon arrival of the first officers to the scene- a tourniquet was applied to the male by deputies. Members of the Varick Fire Department were also quickly on-scene assisting with the tourniquet.
North Seneca Ambulance joined other first responders working to control the bleeding until Life Net arrived- and airlifted the unidentified teen to Strong Memorial Hospital.
Deputies say the male is expected to survive.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the teen was firing a shotgun in a field and the shotgun malfunctioned which caused the barrel to explode.
The teen was then struck by a piece of the shrapnel from the barrel and was never struck by a round from the shotgun. The cause into the malfunction remains under investigation.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]