An 81-year-old Ladysmith man has died in hospital after what police are calling "an accidental firearm discharge."
Shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday morning (Oct. 1), the Ladysmith RCMP were dispatched to a 9-1-1 call in which an 81-year-old man was seriously injured during an accidental firearm discharge.
The man sustained a serious head injury and was transported to a Victoria-area hospital by ambulance, according to a press release. The man succumbed to his injuries in hospital early Tuesday afternoon.
The Ladysmith RCMP, with the assistance of the RCMP Forensic Identification Section, completed a thorough examination of the shooting scene, located in the man's residence on Yellow Point Road.
'Based on the physical findings at the scene, investigators are confident that this was an unintentional, self-inflicted injury which occurred as the man was moving his 22-caliber rifle from a closet shelf," Cpl. Darren Lagan of the Island District RCMP stated in the release. "Ladysmith RCMP Victim Services attended the scene to assist the man's family and will continue to support them in the difficult days ahead."
The BC Coroners Service will assume a lead investigation role moving forward, and the BC Coroners Service is expected to release the man's identity in the coming days, according to Lagan.