Press release from Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On 01-15-2013, approximately 7:00 p.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to a local hospital emergency room to meet with a gunshot victim. When the deputy arrived he met with the 28 year old male victim and his wife, who are Fortuna residents. They told the deputy they drove to SamoaBeach, off New Navy Base Road, at approximately 5:30 p.m. They parked in a turnout approximately 100 yards north of the Samoa Beach County Campground, exited their vehicle and walked towards the beach. When they arrived at the beach they went for a walk, south along the wave slope, for about 30 to 45 minutes, when they heard two or three gunshots. They did not see anyone in the area. The gunshots were seconds apart. After the second shot her husband felt a burning sensation in his buttocks and foot. He saw his foot was covered in blood. They ran back to their vehicle and drove to the hospital to seek treatment. They have no idea who did this or why. There are no suspects at this time. The victim is expected to recover from his injuries.
Deputies responded to the area described and checked the area. No witnesses, other victims or suspects were located.
Anyone with information for the Sheriffs Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriffs Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriffs Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539 .
This article appears in The Gun Issue.
Well, they probably came close to a meth lab running in the brush.
The heading makes it sound as if the purpose was to shoot the guy. What if some person was just illegally discharging a firearm in a negligent manner and a bullet came down vertically out of the sky and hit the guy; or, maybe it was a drug deal gone bad?
Who knows, but how does the scene get investigated if the victim could not clearly mark-out where he and she were standing at the time of shooting, direction they were facing, the interactions, etc…
Hope the victim heals, but the heading of the story makes it sound like there was a shooter on the dune grassy noll intentionally targeting the guy.
Maybe if a press release were to go out by the authorities that if this was an accident due to negligence, charges could be lessened, but then again, if a person is in hiding, doubt the release would have much affect…but ya never know because in the past, some good-hearted people at fault for whatever negligence have stepped-up at a later date to claim responsibility and liabiltiy. – HOJ
HOJ… really? I might be going out on a limb here, but I think you’re the one who’s implying the meaning of “Man Shot” as some sort of grassy-knoll sniper fantasy in your own head. There’s nothing biased or even really inaccurate about the title “Fortuna Man Shot at Samoa Beach” and I am genuinely curious to hear what your alternate suggestions for the correct, neutral headline might be. “Fortuna Man Collides With Rogue Projectile at Samoa Beach,” or “Innocent Chap (But Maybe Not) Hit By Potentially Unintentional Gunfire?” …No, those both sound like crap.
Hey Mr. Burns, or is it Sundberg? Anyhow, I would have entitled it as this (and your suggestions are valuable too):
“Fortuna Man Shot while at Samoa Beach”. – HOJ
Neither of the two, not sure why you think I’m one of those guys… Ryan was a pretty popular name a couple of decades ago. I don’t see any marked difference in meaning between what you’ve suggested and the original title, other than that yours sounds wordier, and therefore less journalistic in style.
Cool then; one is a beat writer, another is civicly involved.
Disagree on title inference being too lengthy (Quality is not minimizing words to misrepresent or camoflauge).
Anyhow, it was also a title thought that “Fortuna Man Shot Walking on Samoa Beach” or “Fortuna Man hit by Stray Bullet at Samoa Beach”.
The point is AGAIN, the original title infers something that does not seem to fit the reasoning/account of the victim. The original title somewhat implies a purpose by another to inflict bodily injury. (They did not see anyone in the area, thereby inferring negligence)
It is a wonder if the bullet or shot or whatever it was became lodged into his foot. Awefully weird that a bullet, pellet or ball hits first in the buttox, then down into the foot. Was the foot in stride behind the guys rear quarters so as to receive the stray bullet, pellet or ball while walking? And, the trajectory seems to be a verticle one, top down (by explanation of victim). Or, could have the first two “shots” both hit the guy, one in buttox and one in the foot. If this is the case, then it was not reported as such.
The fact is that media will “taint a headline” just to get the curiousness of people to read something, and often enough, the reader is still pondering wtf. Sincerely,
HOJ you are my new favorite comedian. Do you have a standup show scheduled any time soon? I just want to make sure I get tickets. Thanks.
Whatever you title the article, it is extremely concerning and I would like an update so that those of us who walk in the dunes and on the beach might learn the whole story and know if there is a wacko running around out there or just an extremely careless gun owner. Either way…they should be held accountable for their actions!