A 24-year-old Thornton man was killed in the early hours of Memorial Day at a campground in Boulder County, authorities say.
The name of the man is not being released pending notification of family members, said Det. Sgt. Jason Oehlkers, spokesman for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
The man was camping with friends and acquaintances at the Olive Ridge campground northwest of Boulder when he shot himself in the face at 1:15 a.m., Oehlkers said.
Friends called emergency reporting that the shooting was accidental, Oehlkers said.
Authorities are interviewing other campers and the man’s friends to determine what happened, he said.
“I don’t know why he had a gun,” Oehlkers said. “We’re still trying to figure this out.”
People often take guns with them when they are camping for recreational shooting, he said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
