Alberta golfer shot in leg by apparently errant bullet from shooting competition

[bat119]

This not good

RCMP in Grande Prairie are investigating after a male golfer was shot in the leg while participating in a tournament south of the city on Saturday.
An organized shooting competition was taking place at a shooting range nearby, police said.
"Police are confident that there is no risk to public safety at this time," RCMP said in a press release.
The man was transported to hospital, and has since been treated and released.
"We're still trying to determine exactly what happened," Const. Melanie McIntosh said.
All participants in the golf tournament and shooting competition are being interviewed.
The president of the Wapiti Shooters Club said he has been told not to comment on the incident until RCMP complete their investigation later this week.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...shot-1.4799871

[gpgriz]

When used as designed, it's a safe range, IMO.
It seems like someone did something wrong.
I hope this doesn't turn out bad for the range.

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by gpgriz

When used as designed, it's a safe range, IMO.
It seems like someone did something wrong.
I hope this doesn't turn out bad for the range.

If it can be established the errant bullet left the Range it won’t be good.

[Twisted Canuck]

Oh crap, that's all we needed here....all the rich folks down at the Dunes can now commence screaming to shut us down.

Glad the golfer is ok, but what a negative thing for our range!

[AB2506]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Oh crap, that's all we needed here....all the rich folks down at the Dunes can now commence screaming to shut us down.

Glad the golfer is ok, but what a negative thing for our range!

Start raising your berms now.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by AB2506

Start raising your berms now.

The berms are already plenty high, nothing you can do if a negligent round goes over (and I don't even want to comment on that thought, as I wasn't there and don't know what happened)...it couldn't have just gone into a fairway, had to hit someone. Damn.

[elkhunter11]

I suspected either an IPSC or three gun shoot when I read the media release, apparently, it was a three gun competition.

The very survival of the range could depend on the outcome of the investigation.

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I suspected either an IPSC or three gun shoot when I read the media release, apparently, it was a three gun competition.

The very survival of the range could depend on the outcome of the investigation.

Why would these disciplines in particular be at the top of your suspect list ... one would assume that as long as targets are properly backstopped, bullets should not leave the Range?

[6.5 shooter]

Perhaps the Lethbridge police were involved..Just a thought.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

Why would these disciplines in particular be at the top of your suspect list ... one would assume that as long as targets are properly backstopped, bullets should not leave the Range?

Short barreled firearms, and rapid fire, from what I have seen, that combination seems most likely to result in shots that don't always go where intended.

[Albertacoyotecaller]

Ha, I have seen plenty of idiots with long guns not know where their bullets have gone.

How wide is your paint brush?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Albertacoyotecaller

Ha, I have seen plenty of idiots with long guns not know where their bullets have gone.

How wide is your paint brush?

The article mentioned a competition, I had my doubts that it was benchrest or F-class.

[HunterDave]

Or, the bullet didn’t even come from the rifle range.......

Morinville RCMP seek information regarding discharge of firearms

Sturgeon County, Alberta – On August 19, 2018 around 8 p.m. Morinville RCMP responded to a firearms complaint at the Goose Hummock Golf Course. Staff and golfers reported hearing gunshots for a couple of hours and that two golfers had reported a stray bullet landing near them at the north end of the golf course.

A ground search was conducted of the area but no bullet fragments were located. Witnesses reported that the gunshots were coming from north of Goose Hummock in the area of TWP RD 564/564 and HWY 28. No one was injured and RCMP do not believe this was an intentional act.

Extensive police patrols and neighbourhood canvassing north of the golf course did not locate any suspects.

The public is reminded when discharging a firearm to do so in safe direction ensuring that they are 200 yards of any occupied building (section 52(1) Wildlife Act, Alberta).

http://morinvillenews.com/2018/08/21...e-of-firearms/

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Perhaps the Lethbridge police were involved..Just a thought.

LOL!

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Or, the bullet didn’t even come from the rifle range.......

Morinville RCMP seek information regarding discharge of firearms

Sturgeon County, Alberta – On August 19, 2018 around 8 p.m. Morinville RCMP responded to a firearms complaint at the Goose Hummock Golf Course. Staff and golfers reported hearing gunshots for a couple of hours and that two golfers had reported a stray bullet landing near them at the north end of the golf course.

A ground search was conducted of the area but no bullet fragments were located. Witnesses reported that the gunshots were coming from north of Goose Hummock in the area of TWP RD 564/564 and HWY 28. No one was injured and RCMP do not believe this was an intentional act.

Extensive police patrols and neighbourhood canvassing north of the golf course did not locate any suspects.

The public is reminded when discharging a firearm to do so in safe direction ensuring that they are 200 yards of any occupied building (section 52(1) Wildlife Act, Alberta).

http://morinvillenews.com/2018/08/21...e-of-firearms/

My thoughts exactly.
It would not surprise me if someone was randomly shooting away from that range and a round from their rifle hit the golfer .
Cat

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

My thoughts exactly.
It would not surprise me if someone was randomly shooting away from that range and a round from their rifle hit the golfer .
Cat

Most likely scenerio. I’ve seen many a people that don’t think when shooting. one of the worst offenders I’ve ever had the misfortune of Knowing was a kid from blackfalds back 10 years ago. Would see a coyote and literally run and gun. Taking500+ yard shots over roads, from one field to the next...

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

My thoughts exactly.
It would not surprise me if someone was randomly shooting away from that range and a round from their rifle hit the golfer .
Cat

The caliber, calculated trajectory, etc will tell the tale. It’d be interesting to see the template for the range. It doesn’t sound right to me that a golf course would be in the beaten zone if a bullet was fired over a berm.

[Johnsonn2018]

That (The Dunes Golf & Winter Club) course is pretty close to the range and judging from google maps any rifle or handgun shooter is facing it.

Bermes definitely need to be raised.

[Johnsonn2018]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

It doesn’t sound right to me that a golf course would be in the beaten zone if a bullet was fired over a berm.

The golf course is around 1km south of the range. If that bullet did indeed come from the range it must be some "slow" flying projectile.

[Don_Parsons]

Purhaps the investigation will determine alot of things going on in this incident.

Hopefully they look into both the shooting range and golf course set-ups.

Gosh, a person who think there would be a safety factor built in-between the two facilities.

Again, hopefully they find out what lead up to this, or if the incident was out side of the range.

[Weedy1]

Someone forgot to yell Fore!

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Johnsonn2018

The golf course is around 1km south of the range. If that bullet did indeed come from the range it must be some "slow" flying projectile.

So which facility existed first, the golf course, or the range? If the range existed first, the golf course developers likely expressed no concern about being so close to a range, when they were applying for approval to build their course, but now that the course exists, it would be interesting to know how they feel about being 1lm from the range?
Hopefully, it can be established that the bullet did not originate from the range, and this incident doesn't spur a campaign to shut down the range.

[Mr Flyguy]

Golfer shouldn't be complaining, after all, he got a hole in one!

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

The berms are already plenty high, nothing you can do if a negligent round goes over (and I don't even want to comment on that thought, as I wasn't there and don't know what happened)...it couldn't have just gone into a fairway, had to hit someone. Damn.

Absolutely, it must have similar chances to a lightning strike, why did someone have to be in the path of the bullet? What a shame... Not remotely suggesting the bullet had any business being fired where where it was, but just the odds of an errant shot hitting someone at random on a place as sparsely populated as a golf course seems so remote...

I hope the golfer is OK and that the shooter responsible is discovered and at the very least educated in safety, whether they were at the range or shooting somewhere nearby. I wonder if they’ll be requesting fired rounds from each participant who was shooting around the approximate time of the incident for ballistics comparison, or if the fired round was even recovered at all? Considering the type of shooting event it was most likely an fmj round, a small consolation but still one that would reduce the severity of the injury.

[bat119]

Hopefully the golfer makes a complete recovery and the source of the errant round is not from the range.

The detectives at CBC have the case cracked and changed the headline of the news article.

Errant bullet from Alberta shooting competition hits nearby golfer

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...shot-1.4799871

[Dick284]

The club calendar shows that there was a 3 gun match this past weekend.

If the stray bullet did come from the range, the RSO, course lay out, use of un shrouded steel(if steel was used), will all go under the microscope. Consequently if the bullet did come from the range, and is in some way the related to the RSO, or the course layout, or if the use of un shrouded steel is found to be in any part of the causal relationship, this is going to go hard on all shooting clubs, everywhere.

As for the who came first, that doesn’t matter one bit, the club is responsible for any projectiles that may leave the range, whether it travels 1 meter or 3000 meters.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by bat119

Hopefully the golfer makes a complete recovery and the source of the errant round is not from the range.

The detectives at CBC have the case cracked and changed the headline of the news article.

Errant bullet from Alberta shooting competition hits nearby golfer

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...shot-1.4799871

It would be nice if it turns out that the bullet did not originate from the range, it might even make a law suit possible.

[tikka250]

Just to answer a few questions. This has all come from the gun nutz thread on the subject. It sounds like the range has been there since the 70's and the golf course showed up around early 90's. Parts of the golf course are only 650 meters away from the range. This was a scheduled 3 gun shoot.
before anyone goes blaming short barreled ar15's or careless organisers I can say that those guys take safety seriously when setting up a course. Three gun rules state that any negligent discharge results in emediate expulsion from the match and is taken quite seriously.

[260 Rem]

Not familiar with the discipline ...does three gun target unshrouded steel, stationary/moving position during discharge?

[ghostguy6]

Where was Bill Murray when this happened....?