more proof that people are brilliant

posted today on www.savannahnow.com :
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Teen aims at snake, shoots his own leg
Megan Matteucci | 912.652.0448 l megan.matteucci@savannahnow.com

A snake in the grass is to blame for a Port Wentworth teenager shooting himself.

A 16-year-old boy told police he was mowing his lawn at 555 Ga. 30 on Tuesday afternoon when he saw a snake slithering toward his dogs, Port Wentworth Police Sgt. Loren Scholes said.

The dogs were chained in the boy's yard.

Wanting to protect his dogs, the boy ran inside to get a Derringer .22 Magnum pistol, Scholes said.

But as he came outside and rounded the corner of the house, the snake was at his feet, the teen told police.

The boy immediately fired. But instead of killing his perceived enemy, he shot himself in the leg, Scholes said.

The bullet entered the boy's right calf and exited near his heel, police said.

The boy's parents took their son to the hospital, where he was expected to recover. Police described it as a small wound.

Police and the boy's parents did not find the snake.

"The snake escaped unscathed," Scholes said.

The boy told police he didn't know how big or what kind of snake it was.

"From what he described, it sounded as big as a freight train," Scholes said. "But he was pretty shaken up."

Detectives are investigating the shooting as accidental.

"All we know is he pulled the trigger himself and did not mean to shoot himself," Scholes said."
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:crazy:

Gosh I feel bad for him, but very glad that the snake got away!

Raj

Why would he come out with a gun at 16. and why would his parents let him???.....that pic is so cute ice i like that

what id like to know, why isnt there more about how he PARENTS should of had the gun somewhere he couldnt get to.

People should lock up their guns to keep them away from their stupid children. Too many accidents happen that way, and all gun owners get a bad rap because of it. That snake would have probably never hurt a thing.

he he.....it was probably just a grass snake

haha....kinda a little related
I got pretty close to shooting a friend in the leg with a shotgun while rabbit hunting because of a snake. It would of been kinda intentional though. We were walking out of the woods from a rabbit hunting trip and I turned around to see my friend staring down at a copperhead 4 in. from his leg and ready to strike. Luckily, He lowered his shotgun butt to the 4 in gap between the copperhead and his leg and he was able to move away with out triggering a strike. I had my gun pointed at the copperhead the entire time. So if I would have shot, I would have most likely hit his leg and the snake and avoided the bite. This sparked a very interesting discussion between me and my pal...''Which would you rather...a poisonous snake bite....or a few shotgun pellets in the leg?''. We still debate it to this very day.

i think id take the snake bite

I think I'd take the shotgun pellets. Either way you're going to have puncture wounds, I'd prefer to take the ones lacking venom. :dead:

Ya thats was my point. Buy my friend pointed out that you have no idea what a shotgun pellet would hit if anything at all (i.e. just flesh, bone, arteries?). You pretty much know where you stand with a snake bite. And we are only talking about a copperhead....its not like it was a black mamba ;)

I come across snakes in the woods all the time (sometimes i even look for them ;) ). It is only the ones that 'sneak up on ya' that ever really cause me any worry. If you see a wild snake, most likely it will not 'attack' or anything like that unless provoked. That kid could have simply stood between the snake and the dogs and the snake would have most likely went the other direction....but instead he is probably now known as the town idiot.