KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce has notified law enforcement of an incident at a campaign event Tuesday at which a KSHB 41 News reporter was injured.
Clinton County, Missouri, Sheriff Larry Fish said in a statement to KSHB 41 News that Kunce notified deputies of the incident on Wednesday.
Kunce was hosting a campaign event in Holt, Missouri, Tuesday focused on the Second Amendment.
As part of the event, Kunce was firing an AR-15-style weapon at the time KSHB 41 News reporter Ryan Gamboa was struck in the right arm by a metal fragment.
Gamboa suffered minor injuries from the ricochet and was treated and released from an area hospital.
Kunce and former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who was also part of the campaign event, helped bandage Gamboa’s arm immediately after he was struck.
“The incident involved a local news agency reporter who was allegedly struck in the arm by flying shrapnel while covering the target shooting event,” Sheriff Fish said in the statement. “Thankfully, the reporter sustained only minor injuries and later sought medical attention at an area hospital.”
The Kunce campaign released a statement Wednesday when asked about their participation in the investigation.
“Lucas informed local law enforcement,” a campaign spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday to KSHB 41 News. “As soon as Lucas saw the injury, he immediately administered first aid using the on-site medical kits, as he was trained to do in the Marine Corps. He is glad the reporter is fine.”
Gamboa said he has also provided a statement as part of the investigation.
“This incident is currently under investigation, and all indications at this time suggest that it was an unfortunate accident,” Fish said.
Gamboa continues to cooperate with law enforcement but does not plan to seek charges in connection to the incident.
Kunce is campaigning to unseat incumbent Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri). His campaign said Tuesday’s event was focused on “freedoms at the range."
“Safety is important to us, which is why the range was set up and run by a NRA Training Counselor,” a campaign spokesperson said. “But any time you are handling weapons, you need to be prepared. We acted quickly and I’m glad the reporter was OK and able to keep reporting.”
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