WEATHERFORD, Texas (AP) — A Texas sheriff says a deputy who was shot in the foot while investigating a report of an illegal deer hunting site was wounded when his spare weapon malfunctioned and discharged without warning.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said Thursday that the concealed backup gun was in a holster and strapped to the deputy when it fired. Fowler says Monday’s shooting remains under investigation and deputies were still seeking a trespasser seen on the private property.
The gun will undergo ballistics and other function tests.
The deputy was shot while dispatched to a rural area about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) west of Fort Worth. The department had received a complaint from a landowner about an illegal deer blind.
Officials initially blamed a trespasser for the shooting.
