Shillington man hospitalized after gun mishap involving dog

by Caitlin Rearden
Nov 12,2025

SHILLINGTON, Pa. - Police in Shillington are investigating a bizarre shooting incident involving a dog.

Just after 11 p.m. yesterday, police were dispatched to a home in the 300 block of State Street for a report of a shooting.

"While they were responding they were informed that a dog had jumped up onto the bed, causing the shotgun to go off, which ultimately struck the male," said Cpl. Michael Schoone with Shillington Police Department.

Officers arriving on scene located a 53-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his back.

According to investigators, the man told police he was cleaning a shotgun when he placed the firearm down on his bed.

"He's not sure what stage of cleaning he was in at the time, so it's unsure if the dog's paw may have gotten caught inside the trigger and the safety was off, or if there was some sort of manufacturer malfunction. That's unknown at this time," Schoone said.

The man, who was struck in the lower back, was transported to Reading Hospital for treatment and had to undergo surgery for his injuries. Police say he is expected to survive.

A spent shell casing was found inside the shotgun and police stressed the importance of gun owners taking precautions when handling firearms.

"Obviously, you should be treating every weapon as if it's loaded. You know, all the cardinal rules: keeping it in a safe direction, finger off the trigger... This was, like you said, it's the perfect storm. You know it was just the right place at the right time, or the wrong time," added Schoone.

The incident remains under investigation.

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area...07-b81fe027b248.html

Got to be the same dog that ate his homework in middle school.

That was no accident, somebody needs to run that mutt in for questioning. . Man’s best friend……..a likely story.

quote:

He's not sure what stage of cleaning he was in at the time

... Mmm hmmm.


Doesn't pass the smell test.

He was cleaning a loaded firearm, first problem there. There seem to be a few facts missing from that story.

quote:

Doesn't pass the smell test.

But it does stink to high heaven.

Probably "cleaning" his shotgun instead of attending to pooch's dinner time. Priorities!

He was cleaning a gun in his bedroom?

The dog loaded the gun, obviously, as no one would clean a loaded gun.

Cleaning a loaded shotgun… uh huh…. True rocket surgeon candidate right there

The editor for WFMZ in Allentown, PA, is a moron for publishing that bullshit story.

I have lost count of the number of times over the decades I have read of a dog’s actions having fired someone’s gun. Considering how many times I have had someone’s dog jump on me or seen pictures/videos of what dogs are allowed to do in homes, I have little doubt that it could have happened, especially if the man was wounded in the back. Loaded gun is left where the dog is allowed to go, paw gets on the trigger: gun functions as designed.

The “cleaning” part, though, is nonsense. It’s just that the “I was cleaning it” when something bad happened has become engrained as a common and widely-accepted excuse that it’s the first thing that comes to many people’s minds.

But too bad it wasn’t a P320 and then even the dog could have avoided any blame.

Shotguns need cleaning, huda thought.

This must be his hat.

I feel bad for the dog. The police will be hounding him.

Damned ruff.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Morgan:
I feel bad for the dog. The police will be hounding him.

They're barking up the wrong tree.

Yeah, that dog won't hunt...Just sayin'

Seriously though, it's pretty hard to shoot yourself 'in the lower back' with a shotgun. Were it not for the claim he was 'cleaning' it at the time, it's at least conceivable that the dog could have caused the shotgun to discharge. Epically stupid to place a loaded shotgun on the bed, pointed in your general direction though!

Haha... it's gotten so bad that I don't clean guns anymore. I'll only carry a weapon around dogs if it's in a good retention holster!