Poplar Bluff man killed in Wednesday hunting accident

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- A 76-year-old Poplar Bluff, Mo., resident died Wednesday in an apparent accidental shooting while he was hunting in Wayne County.

Lowell G. Fleming was found by neighbors midafternoon, according to Wayne County conservation agent Brian Towe, who responded to the scene off Route A, about a mile west of U.S. 67.

Fleming, according to Wayne County conservation agent Mic Plunkett, was struck in the left leg with a single shot from his Remington 12-gauge shotgun while he was either mounting or dismounting his ATV, resulting in a fatal loss of blood.

"There's still speculation as far as what exactly happened," Plunkett said. "We don't know if he was getting on or off the ATV when the gun discharged."

The shooting occurred between 6 and 7 a.m., based on when the shot was heard, according to Towe.

Plunkett said a spent shotgun shell was found on the ground near Fleming, and another was found in the firearm. He said it appears Fleming tried to stop the bleeding by using a bungee cord wrapped around his leg.

"We're still looking at all the details," he said.

This is the third hunting-related accident in the last month in the Department of Conservation's Southeast Region, according to Towe. The two others involved dove hunters.

A 14-year-old archery hunter was killed Thursday in St. Louis in another hunting accident.