Mail Tribune News - Rogue River teen shot on camping trip

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-01-13

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Rogue River teen shot on camping trip A Rogue River teen was accidentally shot Thursday on a camping trip to West Fork Evans Creek. Michael Westfall, 18, was in serious condition Friday at the Rogue Valley Medical Center. Westfall and six other area teens were camping near the Elderberry Flat Campground when a 17-year-old accidentally shot Westfall around 8:49 p.m., according to Lt. Dewey Patten of the Jackson County Sheriff�s Department. The teen told deputies he unloaded the semi-automatic Colt .22-caliber pistol and thought it was empty when he pulled the trigger, said Patten. A bullet that remained in the chamber hit Westfall in the abdomen. The campers drove Westfall to the Rogue River Exxon gas station and called for help at 9:21 p.m. Patten said that according to the report, there was alcohol present at the time of the accident but it was unclear how much was consumed by whom. Patten said that the 17-year-old admitted to drinking one-half of a beer before the accident. No charges will be filed in the incident, said Patten. Westfall is the second Southern Oregon teen to be hit by a bullet this week. On Wednesday, a 14-year-old Cave Junction girl was injured when a stolen handgun handled by a 16-year-old Rogue River boy accidentally went off. Josephine County sheriff�s deputies charged the boy with first-degree theft, negligently injuring another, reckless endangerment and fourth-degree assault.   Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds |  Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive  | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA