Man suffers gunshot wound

A man identified as a 37-year-old transient accidentally shot himself in the leg earlier this month in Sisters.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported that at approximately 10:27 a.m. on July 7, deputies responded to Ray’s Food Place in Sisters to a report of an accidental gunshot wound. Upon arrival, they located the involved red 1997 Chevrolet 1500 pickup parked on the south end of the lot.

Deputies located the driver seated on the tailgate of his truck. The man was being attended to by a citizen, who was holding onto a makeshift tourniquet to control the bleeding to a gunshot wound to the man’s left shin above the ankle. Deputies applied a DCSO-issued tourniquet to the injured man’s left leg and applied pressure bandages to further control the bleeding.

Deputies learned that the man exited his vehicle with his blackpowder .38 caliber revolver secured on his belt. As he exited his vehicle, the revolver fell on the asphalt and discharged into his leg. This was later confirmed by the passenger, who was exiting the vehicle on the passenger side at the time of the gunshot. 

Medics with Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District arrived on scene approximately five minutes later and took over medical treatment. The injured man was later transported by medics to St. Charles in Bend.

Deputies located the expended bullet, which had ricocheted on the driver’s door, and landed approximately 10 feet away from his vehicle on the ground. No other citizens were injured and there were no other reports of property damage.