Overview
- Officers responded to the Short Stop convenience store after reports that someone had been shot, and investigators found the incident occurred on Saturday when a truck parked at the station was struck by a shotgun blast.
- Police say a dog in the rear seat moved and contacted a stored shotgun that had a live round in the chamber, causing the weapon to fire through the passenger-side door.
- A pellet struck a woman in the upper arm while she sat at a nearby traffic light; she was taken to Regional West Medical Center with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
- Scottsbluff police continue to investigate the case, have not released the victim’s identity or the dog’s breed, and have not announced any charges to the public.
- Authorities emphasized that transporting a loaded shotgun in a vehicle is illegal in Nebraska and used the incident as a warning about safe storage and handling of firearms.