Feb 27, 2021

Sheriff's office: Hays man dead after accidental shooting Friday

Posted Feb 27, 2021 11:05 AM

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office has reported a Hays man is dead as the result of an accidental shooting Friday afternoon.

At 3:21 p.m. Friday, dispatchers received a 911 call regarding a vehicle parked in the 2000 block of 200th Avenue. The caller reported an individual laying next to the vehicle, not believed to be breathing. 

Emergency responders reported finding Raymond Nieman, 72, Hays, deceased next to his vehicle with a single gunshot wound to the chest.

"The Ellis County Sheriff's Office along with 23rd Judicial District Coroner Lyle Noordhoek determined the death as accidental as all evidence indicates Nieman was securing his shotgun in the back of the vehicle when it accidentally discharged," the sheriff's office said in a news release Friday evening.

The complete release is below.