A 19-year-old man who wanted to test out a flak jacket Saturday suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound when his friend missed his target in a cabin in northwest Lancaster County, Sheriff Terry Wagner said.Â
Deputies were alerted to the shooting by staff at a Lincoln hospital that afternoon.Â
They believe the shooting took place in a cabin north of Malcolm near Northwest 112th Street and West Mill Road, the sheriff said.
During their investigation, they found the 19-year-old victim and his two friends had shot the Vietnam War-era flak jacket several times, Wagner said.
The jacket — a precursor to the modern bullet-proof vest — successfully stopped the rounds, so they decided to try it on a person, the sheriff said.Â
The 19-year-old victim, who is from Gretna, put a pillow under the back of the vest to absorb the shock, but the shooter, also 19, missed the vest, the sheriff said.Â
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The victim was struck in the buttocks, Wagner said.Â
Investigators believe those involved had been drinking alcohol before the shooting. It remains under investigation to determine whether there were any criminal violations, Wagner said.Â