Nebraska police investigate shooting. Their No. 1 suspect? A dog

A Nebraska shooting investigation took an unusual turn after police identified a dog as the likely cause of the gunfire that injured a woman near a convenience store.

The incident happened Saturday afternoon in Scottsbluff, a small town in the Nebraska panhandle, where officers responded to the Short Stop convenience store after dispatchers reported a possible BB gun shooting. While officers traveled to the scene, dispatch updated the call and said the shooting appeared to involve a shotgun instead.

According to local news outlet KNOP News 2, citing the Scottsbluff Police Department, officers arrived around 12:07 p.m. and found a truck with damage on the passenger-side door that matched a shotgun blast. Investigators said the truck owner had stopped at the convenience store while a passenger stood outside near the front passenger-side door.

Police said a dog inside the back seat moved across the vehicle and triggered a shotgun that had a live shell in the chamber. The weapon was discharged through the truck door. One pellet struck a woman who sat at a nearby traffic light with her arm resting outside her vehicle window.

The blast hit a woman in the arm

Authorities said the woman suffered a gunshot injury to her upper right arm. Family members took her to Regional West Medical Center for treatment. Police said her injuries did not appear life-threatening. Investigators have not released the breed or age of the dog. Police also have not publicly identified the truck owner, the passenger, or the injured woman. Authorities have described the shooting as accidental, but the investigation remains active.

Nebraska law prohibits people from transporting a loaded shotgun in a vehicle on a public highway. Violations can result in misdemeanor charges and fines. Police have not announced whether prosecutors plan to file charges connected to the incident.

The bizarre case quickly drew national attention because of the unusual explanation behind the gunfire. Social media users joked about a “trigger-happy” dog, while others focused on firearm safety and the decision to leave a loaded shotgun accessible inside the vehicle.

Dog shooters are rare, but not unheard of

Cases in which dogs allegedly trigger firearms remain rare, though similar incidents have surfaced before. Last year in Shillington, Pennsylvania, police investigated another accidental shooting involving a dog and a shotgun. In that case, a 53-year-old man told investigators he had been cleaning a shotgun when he placed it on a bed.

Police said one of his dogs jumped onto the bed, causing the firearm to discharge and strike the man in the lower back. He underwent surgery after the shooting. Multiple outlets, including reports referencing coverage from The New York Times, described the case as an extremely unusual accident.

The Scottsbluff shooting now joins a short list of cases where investigators blamed a dog for pulling the trigger. Police in Nebraska continue to investigate exactly how the shotgun discharged and whether any criminal violations occurred.