A rural Georgia man, intending to shoot a pesky armadillo, was instead left red-faced after the bullet bounced off and struck his mother-in-law.
Larry McElroy, 54, of Lee County GA, will forever live in local lore after the pecular trek of his determined bullet. McElroy fired a nine-millimeter pistol at the armadillo, which had become something of a pest in the neighborhood.
While the bullet did kill the armadillo, it also ricocheted off of the plated beast, struck a fence, and caromed through the back door of McElroy’s mother’s mobile home, went through the recliner in which she’d been sitting, and struck her in the back.
Fortunately for all involved, Carol Johnson, 74, was not severely injured. According to Lee County Investigator Bill Smith, Johnson “was walking around on her own power and talking. [The injury] didn’t appear to be too severe.”
Smith added, “Just the circumstances, just all the way around, the whole situation was unusual.”
Lee County residents are actually encouraged to shoot armadillos, though trapping them in cages is permitted as a secondary means of reduction. Investigator Smith did tell WALB-10 that he thinks a shotgun is a more effective method of killing the critters–and probably safer.
“I really think if they’re going to shoot at varmints and whatnot, maybe use a shotgun…with a spread pattern with a lot less range,” said Smith.
(Photo credits: WENN + Wikipedia)
