The individual who shot a Bristol man Oct. 18 did so accidentally, probably while “target practicing” at home, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office detectives, with assistance from the Maine Warden Service, continue to investigate the incident and will forward the results of the investigation to the district attorney’s office.
Law enforcement will not release the name of the shooter until the district attorney’s office decides whether to charge the individual, according to an LCSO press release.
Gil Jaeger was shot in the woods outside his Upper Round Pond Road home the morning of Oct. 18, sustaining “non-life-threatening injuries to his torso,” according to LCSO.
As of Oct. 19, Jaeger remains at Maine Medical Center in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A retired oyster farmer, Jaeger is a captain with the Bristol Fire Department. He was an assistant chief for 25 years and received the Chief Bob Maxcy Lifetime Achievement Award for his service in 2011.
The wounded man reported the incident at 10:35 a.m., telling Lincoln County Communications “he had been shot when he entered the woods near his home after hearing several gunshots in the area,” according to LCSO.
Bristol Fire and Rescue, the Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service and the Maine Warden Service assisted LCSO at the scene.
