MT. PLEASANT, Sanpete County — A boy in an SUV was shot and injured Saturday by a stray bullet from target shooters in Sanpete County, authorities said.
About 1:18 p.m., the vehicle was driving north on U.S. 89 just north of Mt. Pleasant when the bullet went through the vehicle and hit the 10-year-old boy in the shoulder, the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The child was taken to Utah Valley Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet, authorities said.
Doctors said the wound did not appear to be life-threatening, sheriff’s officials said.
Sanpete County sheriff’s detective Derick Taysom described the incident as a “negligent shooting, on the part of the family that was near their home, shooting in several different directions in which there were roadways and no backstop in which to stop the bullets.”
Taysom said a search warrant was served to allow investigators to look into the incident, as they believe the family members were shooting on their own property.
“Investigators have been in close contact with the Sanpete County Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation on charges being filed pending the conclusion of the investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.
This isn’t the first time a child has been hit by a stray bullet from target shooters in Utah.
Last September, 14-year-old Zackary Kempke, of North Ogden, was riding with his mother, father and sister on a dirt road in a remote area of the Monte Cristo range between Woodruff and Huntsville when Zackary, who was in the back seat, was shot in the head and killed.
The shot was determined to have come from a family that was target shooting several hundred feet away.
Kayleen Richins, of Roy, admitted that she fired her rifle, shooting through the target and striking Zackary in the back seat of the family’s car. A judge sentenced her to appear in an educational video for a sportsmen’s group and teach young hunters about the importance of knowing their backstop.
But even after fulfilling her requirement, Richins says she continues to share the experience with gun safety classes throughout the state.
“Always have a backstop. Always do your own investigation,” Richins said recently. “Never assume an area is safe because someone’s been there before. Never assume because you’ve been in the area that you remember what it’s like.”
Contributing: Alex Cabrero