A 32-year-old man has been found dead after he was shot by his dog with a rifle left on the backseat of his truck.
Police say the dog had stepped on the rifle, which was sat next to the rest of the man’s hunting equipment and fatally injured him.
The man who is yet to be named from Wichita, Kansas, was found dead near Geuda Springs, on a rural road north of the Oklahoma border.
Police believe he died at about 9.40am on Saturday after attempts to save his life were made by emergency services.
“A canine belonging to the owner of the pickup stepped on the rifle causing the weapon to discharge,” the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“The fired round struck the passenger who died of his injuries on scene.”
Friend of the deceased Jimmy White took to social media to hit back at comments that made light of the situation. He said they were hateful, and that he had known the man personally.
“To all the comedians and weapons experts here: This boy was my friend, having been best friends for over 20+ years with his dad. These comments are hateful. I know this family very well and cannot tell you how much their hearts hurt right now. Shame on you,” White wrote.
