In the early morning hours on Thursday, March 25, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department received information regarding a shooting. The reporting party indicated that a male subject had been walking on Saddle Club Rd, just outside the city limits of Cuba, MO, when he was approached by a man in a pick up truck. the man reportedly stopped and asked the victim if he needed a ride. When the victim declined, the man inside the  truck reportedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the back and then sped away from the scene.

The victim received a gunshot wound to the upper shoulder area. He reported that after being shot he was able to walk approximately a mile back to his residence in Cuba, where a call to 911 was made reporting the incident. The victim from Cuba was transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center and later transferred to a hospital in Columbia.

Investigation of the incident revealed that the incident actually occurred at a residence several miles north of Cuba on Hwy 19. The victim and another male subject were reportedly drinking and the victim began playing with a rifle. The victim and his girlfriend had apparently been arguing and he had made a statement about shooting himself. According to statements from witnesses, the victim was upset over the situation with his girlfriend and that he had pointed the weapon at himself and pulled the trigger. The wound was a pass through gunshot to the upper shoulder.