Man Shoots Own Hand

There hasn’t been a tried-and-true ambush on East Camino Cielo
probably since the road at the top of the Santa Ynez Mountains was
paved, but that’s exactly what Sheriff’s Department deputies, S.B.
city cops, and the California Highway Patrol were gathered at
Cottage Hospital on Sunday night to check out. According to a
report released Monday, a man had called 911around 6:20 p.m. and
reported that he and his brother had been shot at near the Arroyo
Burro trail shooting range. They returned fire, but managed to
escape only after one man had been shot in the hand.

But when the two men, brothers Juan Solis, 20, and Alfredo
Solis, 23, arrived at the emergency room, a rather less sinister
sort of story emerged. As big brother Alfredo,
ran into the hospital with a bloody, gunshot-bearing hand,
underwent surgery, little bro Juan gave one version of events.
Later Alfredo was questioned, only to
give a different version. Deputies knew something funny was amiss,
and further questioning revealed the true story when little bro
Juan divulged the real account.

It turns out that Alfredo was preparing to fire his weapon out
of the window for fun when the gun accidentally went off into his
hand, which accounted for the windshield (pictured) that seemed to
have been penetrated from the inside out. Because they were embarrassed, the
brothers concocted the tale of the ambush, thinking it would save
them from further ridicule. Little did they know that The
Indy would be on the scene, snapping photos of their unsafe
shooting shenanigans. Also recovered on Sunday evening was the
handgun, which proved to be the real villain in this
case.

Despite the law enforcement manpower needed to handle this
gunshot snafu, no charges are being sought. The investigation has
been closed as an accidental gunshot. The ambush will have to
wait.