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Gunsmith hurt by homemade shotgun explosion

By Stacia Glenn, The News Tribune
Published: March 25, 2017, 9:15pm

TACOMA — A shotgun welded by an aspiring gunsmith exploded Thursday near Little Mashel Falls and hurt two people, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Several people called 911 about 3:45 p.m. to report a possible shooting on the Eatonville trail off Alder Cutoff Road East.

Sheriff’s deputies responded but couldn’t find a victim. One witness reported seeing a man with an injured face who asked her not to call police.

Officials at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup notified deputies of a possible shooting victim, and deputies spoke with the 20-year-old and his friends.

They all said the shooting, which was videotaped, was accidental.

A recording showed the aspiring gunsmith take a 12-gauge shell and remove the shot inside before replacing it with powder from a 20-gauge shell, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

When he fired the gun, it exploded in his hands. The explosion injured his face and burned his shoulder.

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