Police: Park ranger shooting was accidental

Police look into possibility that park ranger shooting may be accidental

The same bullet that killed a suicidal woman last Wednesday on the banks of Lake Lanier accidentally struck a park ranger in the stomach, Gwinnett County police have determined

D.P. Wright, a ranger for the Army Corps of Engineers at Lower Buford Dam Park, had approached Qiana Moore’s vehicle to inform her the park was closed. Moore, 34, shot herself, investigators said, and the bullet traveled through the window of her truck and into the ranger’s torso.

“The evidence at the scene supports this theory, including the facts that only one shot was heard, and only one shell casing was located,” Gwinnett police Cpl. Jake Smith said in a statement. Officers also recovered a suicide note at the scene.

Wright, 70, is expected to be discharged from the hospital sometime this week, according to his family.

“Although additional recovery time will be needed at home, he looks forward to returning to the job he loves and particularly interacting and teaching children about water safety,” they said in a statement.