Man accidentally shoots self in back CONCONULLY, Wash. - Okanogan Sheriff Frank Rogers says a Lewis County man is lucky to be alive after accidentally shooting himself in the back.
The sheriff says 44-year-old Randy C. Hugh of Mineral lost a lot of blood in the shooting when he was alone near Fish Lake, northeast of Conconully.
He was able to drive until he came across a Forest Service employee who called for help. Hugh was reported in satisfactory condition Friday at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee.
The sheriff says Hugh was standing next to the driver's door Tuesday with an armload of fishing gear when he tossed his holstered .44-caliber pistol into the back of his car. The gun hit an air compressor in the back seat and fired a round that hit him in the back and came out his chest.
Deputies matched a dent in the red compressor with red paint on the gun's hammer and determined the shooting was accidental.