2 children, 1 adult injured in accidental discharge during clay pigeon shooting

MELROSE TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - A child was unloading a shotgun after clay pigeon shooting with family in rural Stearns County over the weekend when it accidentally went off, injuring two children and an adult. 

The incident took place Saturday afternoon in Melrose Township during a family gathering where several people were partaking in clay pigeon shooting, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office. A child had finished shooting and was unloading a 20-gauge Remington pump-style shotgun when it went off. The barrel of the shotgun was pointed toward the gravel driveway when it went off. 

The blast of the bird-shot shotgun shell ricocheted toward bystanders who were standing 20-30 feet away, the sheriff's office said. Several small pellets struck a 4-year-old child, a 9-year-old child and a 67-year-old person. 

The 67-year-old was treated at the hospital and released. Both children were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 
The incident remains under investigation.