WAYNE — A Fayette man was shot Monday morning when a person hunting wild turkey accidentally fired a 12-gauge shotgun in his direction, authorities said.

Richard Hannibal was walking dogs along Richmond Mills Road when he was struck in the chest by a stray round, Lt. Kevin Adam of the Maine Warden Service said in a news release.

According to police scanner reports, the round didn’t break Hannibal’s skin, but it  did give him a welt. He declined to be treated or taken to the hospital. 

William E. Penley of Scarborough was hunting with his grandson on a property off Richmond Mills Road at the time of the accident, according to Adam. He was sitting in an outcropping of trees and watching a flock of wild turkeys in the yard.

When Penley fired at one of the fowl, he didn’t see Hannibal beyond them, Adam said.

Hannibal was walking dogs with another person and watching the turkeys.

The Maine Warden Service is still investigating the accident.

The news release didn’t indicate whether Penley was licensed to hunt. He was hunting on property that belongs to one of his family members.

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