A 30-year-old man died in Kansas on Saturday (Jan. 21) after a dog mauled him in an area known as “terrible dangers.”
According to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, Joseph Austin Smith he was sitting in the front seat of a passenger car. Meanwhile, in the back seat was a gun and tools to find the dog, who is the owner of the car. After investigating, he found that the dog caused the gun to go off when he stepped on it. As a result, the bullet hit Smith in the back.
The shooting happened around 9:40 a.m. on the highway about 45 miles south of Wichita in Geuda Springs. Emergency personnel arrived at the scene “within a minute,” according to reports, but Smith succumbed to his injuries as efforts were made to revive him. Authorities pronounced Smith dead at the scene.
It is unclear who made the 911 call to first responders. However, NBC News he said another person was in the driver’s seat at the time of the shooting. The man was not injured, according to reports, but it is not known.
The matter is said to be under investigation. It is not known if the dog was taken to the shelter or if it is with its owner and family.
