The Meadville Tribune in Meadville, Pennsylvania reported today that 19-year old Jacob S. Smith accidentally shot himself to death in a hunting accident.  According to the local coroner, “Smith was removing items from a hunting sled when his shotgun accidentally went off with shotgun pellets striking Smith in the abdomen.” 

Smith was a sophomore majoring in safety management at Slippery Rock University, according to the University president.  Available reporting did not indicate how the shotgun came to be loaded in the hunting sled. Similarly, no information was available about whether the gun had a safety or whether the safety was in safe position when the accident occurred. 

Sources:

Keith Gushard, “Hunting Accident Claims Life of Linesville Man,” Meadville Tribune (November 23, 2019).

Madasyn Lee, “Slippery Rock Student, 19, Dies in Crawford County Hunting Accident,” TribLive (November 24, 2019).