Accidental Shooting Injures Two
Written by Andrew-Rossi on August 23, 2017
Two men were wounded Monday in a shooting incident in Meeteetse.
At about quarter to 8 Monday morning, Park County 911 Dispatch received a report of an accidental shooting with injuries involving two men at the Vision Quest Motel in Meeteetse.
The victims, 35 year old Walter Hofer from Great Falls, Montana and 19 year old Jeremy Kleinsasser from Harlowton, Montana, are employed in the Gooseberry Oil Field outside Meeteetse.
In their interviews with the victims, the Park County Sheriff’s office determined that Hofer and Kleinsasser worked together all night in the oil field, then upon their arrival at their hotel, they began talking about guns. Hofer was attempting to show Kleinsasser how to disassemble a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun for cleaning. However, as he was removing the slide of the weapon, it went off and injured his left hand. The bullet then continued through Kleinsasser’s right hip.
Deputies determined that both victims were friends and there was no history of animosity or workplace violence between the two. They were both treated for a gunshot wound at West Park Hospital and subsequently released.
Sheriff Scott Steward pointed out that this incident serves as a reminder that gun owners should become familiar with their weapons before handling them and always treat every weapon as if it’s loaded.
