Florissant Teen Wounded in Ricochet Incident Involving a Shotgun

A 16-year-old Florissant teen can say he is lucky. He survived a recreational gun accident.

The Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department (GCSD) said it was notified of an accidental gunshot wounding at a residence off of Route F near Swiss.

Colin Cameron was shooting a 20-gauge shotgun at a sheet of plexiglass about 30 feet away when one of the pellets from the No. 7 1/2 birdshot shell ricocheted and hit him below an eye, near his nose, according to the Sheriff's Department. 

He was immediately taken to the hospital, at which time Mercy Hospital Washington staff notified the GCSD.

Hazelwood resident Regina Dixon owns the property and told police after taking Cameron to the hospital she contacted both of his parents.

Cameron's injury was not serious, according to GCSD.

A No. 7 1/2 birdshot shell is defined as fixed shell to fire a number of small round pellets, according to Wikipedia.  When fired, the pellets spread upon leaving the barrel, and the force is divided among the pellets, according to Shooting Illustrated. This means the energy of any one ball is fairly low, making it useful primarily for hunting birds and other small game.