Authorities: Live bullets fired at Old West show

[Hazcat]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — One of the participants in a mock Old West gun battle in South Dakota fired live ammunition instead of using blanks, wounding three tourists, authorities announced Friday.

More than 100 people attended the show a week ago staged by the Dakota Wild Bunch re-enactors, who perform several times a week in Hill City, a tourist town in the Black Hills.

--SNIP--

A 49-year-old member of the re-enactor group fired four live rounds during the June 17 show, Thom said. No phone listing could be found for the man.

The bullets shattered a leg bone of Carrol Knutson, 65, of Birchwood, Minn.; hit the forearm and elbow of John Ellis, 48, an optometrist from South Connellsville, Penn.; and caused minor injuries to Jose Pruneda, 53, of Alliance, Neb.

There was no immediate comment from re-enactors. On its Facebook page, the group has said their members are not allowed to bring live rounds to performances.

--SNIP--

Thom said investigators from the sheriff's office, the Rapid City Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives used information gathered in the investigation to recreate the shooting scene this week. They located three lead bullets in different locations and traced them to a .45-caliber handgun used in the mock shootout, he said.

Four spent casings and two unfired cartridges with lead bullets were located near the scene Friday afternoon, the sheriff said. The gun, the casings and the bullets will be sent the state crime lab in Pierre for testing, he said.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Authorities-Live-bullets-fired-at-Old-West-show-1439313.php#ixzz1QWnaRoeC

[Michael Bane]

And this is why we NEVER allow Reenactors to even pretend they know anything about REAL guns!!!!

Mb

[tombogan03884]

This part really sounds odd.

"Four spent casings and two unfired cartridges with lead bullets were located near the scene Friday afternoon, the sheriff said"

As if there were an attempt to conceal the use of real ammo.

[Pathfinder]

This part really sounds odd.

"Four spent casings and two unfired cartridges with lead bullets were located near the scene Friday afternoon, the sheriff said"

As if there were an attempt to conceal the use of real ammo.

And that is why someone will be going to the pokey over this. Not the ND, but for the cover-up.

[fightingquaker13]

And that is why someone will be going to the pokey over this. Not the ND, but for the cover-up.

If you were trying to cover it up wouldn't you, I don't know, put the live rounds in your pocket and then trash them and the rest of the box rather than leaving them on the ground at a crime scene? Of course these are reenactors and they didn't have all that forensic stuff back in the old west. 
FQ13

[Sponsor]

[kmitch200]

After the first round wouldn't you think to yourself, "Gee, that blank had RECOIL!" 

[Solus]

Sounds like when everyone realized there was a problem, the guy who did it (assuming it was not intentional) also realized it was him. 

Perhaps they did a "lock down" and intended to check all weapons used.  The idiot emptied his cylinder of the four spent shells and to unfired ones.   Didn't think to try to hide them or was worried he would be searched before he could dispose of them.

[crusader rabbit]

Alternatively, maybe this particular re-enactor was a complete whack-job who panicked when he realized what he'd done. 

It is difficult for me to imagine that anyone, even someone with limited experience or background using firearms, would continue to fire after seeing an unexpected hole show up in the guy he was aiming at.

This sounds like an intentional "accident" and my money is on the whack-job.

FWIW  Crusader

[Pathfinder]

Alternatively, maybe this particular re-enactor was a complete whack-job who panicked when he realized what he'd done. 

It is difficult for me to imagine that anyone, even someone with limited experience or background using firearms, would continue to fire after seeing an unexpected hole show up in the guy he was aiming at.

This sounds like an intentional "accident" and my money is on the whack-job.

FWIW  Crusader

Crappy shot if it was intentional, none of the wounds are all that serious - painful no doubt, but not exactly what I would call intentional. Then again, if it was a whack job nutball, then maybe a little mayhem was all he wanted.

My money is on the "Oops, did I do that" meme followed by dumping the shells since the cops did not find them that quickly.

[tt11758]

Nice choice:  Nutjob or Dipshit.