Hunter
11/05/21
Iowa City police have identified the person involved in an accidental shooting on Highway 6 that sent a man to the hospital.
In a release Friday, authorities say 69-year-old Philip Olson discharged a .22 caliber air rifle at a squirrel from his home adjacent to Highway 6 in Iowa City the evening of October 17th. At about the same time, police responded to the intersection of Highway 6 and Sycamore Street for a reported single-vehicle accident. The driver was discovered to be suffering from what appeared to be a head wound consistent with a small caliber projectile. The man remains hospitalized at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Olson heard about the incident and went to Iowa City Police on October 20th and admitted to shooting at a squirrel from inside his home and missing. Authorities say the shooting was unintentional.
The rifle used by Olson uses air pressure to discharge pellets. While different from traditional firearms that use gunpowder to generate energy to file a projectile, the air pressure generated by the air rifle generates enough force to injure or kill.
Despite the potential for death or injury, Iowa Code does not define such guns as firearms or per-se dangerous weapons. Therefore, Olson is accused only of violating City Code that prohibits the discharge of any air rifle, toy pistol, toy gun or any other toy arms or slingshot within city limits.
The state Department of Natural Resources have charged Olson with hunting without a license, hunting without a habitat fee, unlawful take or attempt to take squirrels, and shooting a rifle over a highway.
The release says that the family of the victim are joining with the Johnson County Attorney’s Office and Iowa City Police, committing to work towards legislative change to categorize these types of weapons as firearms.