State police: sneeze leads to accidental shooting
New Haven (AP) — Police in Connecticut say an 81-year-old man who was lying in wait with a rifle for a pesky raccoon accidentally shot himself after sneezing and falling from a chair.
New Haven police say James Pace Sr. shot himself in the shin at his home Saturday night. The injury wasn't life-threatening.
Pace told authorities that a raccoon had been scratching at his back door for several days and he was waiting for it with a .22-caliber rifle. Police say he sneezed and fell from his chair, then realized he had accidentally shot himself.
Pace's son drove him to Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Police detectives seized the rifle and are investigating the incident.
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