Letterkenny Township, Pa. - Three hunters died and five others were injured on the first day of the state's firearms deer season. A Shippensburg man was among the injured.

E.J. Helman, 27, is a husband and a father. He has been hunting every year since he was a kid with no problems. But when he went into the woods off Rocky Spring Road in Letterkenny Township Monday, he came out on a stretcher.

"I got a phone call saying he was shot in the arm, just above his elbow,” said his sister Kathleen Helman.

She says it happened just after 5 p.m. He was alone and packing up for the night.

"In shock, he believed he had actually shot himself,” she said.

The Pa. Game Commission later found Helman’s rifle with the help of a police dog. It was fully loaded with the safety on, meaning he was shot by someone else's stray bullet. Based on his injuries, doctors say the bullet came from at least a couple hundred yards away.

“The entry and exit wounds were definitely from behind,” said Kathleen Helman. “It came in through the back of his elbow and then went out the other side."

Helman’s wife Michelle says he will spend at least another week at York Hospital, where he still needs two more surgeries. Members of his family says they're praying he will heal quickly, so he can get back to his roofing business.

“The bone was shattered. But at this point in time, he has feeling in his hand," said Kathleen Helman. "He's able to open and close and we're hopeful that he's able to keep that up.”

A spokesman for the game commission says all hunting accidents must be reported to them within 72 hours. If identified, the person who shot Helman could face up to $800 in fines and suspension of their hunting license.

 

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