Authorities said Philip Olson was shooting at a squirrel when he accidentally hit Gabriel Heefner in the head. | Pixabay/GeorgeB2
Authorities said Philip Olson was shooting at a squirrel when he accidentally hit Gabriel Heefner in the head. | Pixabay/GeorgeB2
An Iowa City man who police say accidentally shot a Marine who was driving by when he aimed for a rodent has turned himself into authorities after he learned someone had been hurt.
Philip Olson, 69, told investigators he intended to shoot a squirrel that was in his yard with an air rifle on Oct. 17 when he unintentionally hit Gabriel Heefner, 20, of Missouri, in the head, according to the Associated Press.
"So senseless," Wilatrel Rice, of Missouri, wrote in a Nov. 5 Facebook post. "Way too many guns, Irresponsible gun owners."
AP reported that police found Heefner inside a vehicle that had crashed. Heefner, who lives out of state, was in the Iowa City area to visit his grandparents.
Heefner was shot in the head, AP reported. As of Nov. 5, he was still in the hospital receiving treatment for his injuries.
Olson faces several citations both from both Iowa City and the state Department of Natural Resources. AP reported that although state laws don't classify air rifles as firearms or dangerous weapons, it's against city code to discharge one within city limits. The Iowa Department of Natural Resource accused Olson of violating several state regulations which included hunting without out a license.
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