Man looking for a wounded deer shoots his brother instead, Michigan police say

A man in Michigan has been hospitalized after police say his brother mistook him for a deer while hunting Saturday evening.

Two brothers were hunting in Lowell County when one of them shot and wounded a deer with a muzzle-loading rifle, Michigan Live reported. As the men searched for the animal, they got separated in a thick corn field, police say.

One of the hunters, age 29, thought he’d spotted the animal and fired his weapon, but officials say it wasn’t a deer at all — it was his brother, WZZM reported.

Police say the bullet hit his brother, age 28, prompting the man to call 911 before the two brothers made their way out of the field to meet first responders, according to the news outlet.

The injured brother was flown to an area hospital where his condition is serious but stable, the Detroit Free Press reported. The deer was never found and an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Further details on the man’s injuries have not reported.

This story was originally published November 17, 2019 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Man looking for a wounded deer shoots his brother instead, Michigan police say."