One Inch Between Life And Death

Three young hunters learned some valuable gun safety lessons on Sunday, September 8th, 1985. When Steve Hauer, 16, was accidentally shot after two companions finished target practice. Steve was shooting with his nephew Chris, 13, and best friend Kurt, 15, in a neighbor's woods about a mile from Steve's home. At approximately 5 pm, it began to rain, so Steve said, "We better get back." He climbed into the driver's seat and prepared to leave when Chris and Kurt unloaded their guns. The 22 rifles accidentally fired had been unloaded, but a bullet jammed in the process of setting down the gun. The bullet shot across the car into the driver's seat then hitting Steve below the shoulder blade hitting the sixth rib and splitting in half before stopping a inch from his heart.