Herald staff
TULALIP — Tulalip tribal police and the FBI are investigating a shooting that occurred shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday that left a 40-year-old man in serious but stable condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with a gunshot wound to the back.
Investigators are trying to determine if the incident was a hunting accident, Tulalip Police Chief Jay Goss Jr. said Monday.
Three tribal members went out in a forested area of the reservation to check snares or animal traps, Goss said. A 33-year-old man with a rifle got out and a second man, 20, reportedly remained in the back seat. When the driver got out, the rifle discharged accidentally, Goss said.
"We’re trying now to determine how that discharge took place," he said. "There’s nothing to indicate it was intentional."
The man with the rifle drove the victim to the tribal police station and he was airlifted to Harborview, Goss said. The two are cousins.
"It’s clear that criminal charges will be brought forth. The issue is which criminal charges," Goss said.
Police seized two rifles, and the case remains under investigation.
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