Elderly man saved after shooting himself in the leg

A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officer saved a man’s life after he shot himself in the leg.

Officer Mark James was in a remote area south of Elma when he saw a man shoot out of a window with a pistol at a grouse.

WDFW Sgt. Matt Nixon said that when the elderly man saw the officer, he began to unload the gun inside of his vehicle, and that is when the .22 caliber black powder pistol went off and he shot himself in the leg.

Officer James recently went through military training to treat gunshot wounds and was able to apply a tourniquet to the man’s leg to stop the bleeding.

Due to the remote area of the accident, the officer escorted the man and his passenger out of the forest before he was transported to Grays Harbor Community Hospital by ambulance.

Nixon praised Officer James for his actions, saying “I’m really proud of Mark. If he was not there, the man likely would not have survived.”

While it is muzzleloader season and shooting grouse is legal, shooting while inside of a vehicle is illegal in the state. Nixon said that this accident shows why that law exists.

Inside the vehicle were other loaded weapons. Charges are planned against the elderly man.