“It looks like they were trying to fix a gun that was jammed,” Yelm Police Chief Todd Stancil said. “We don’t suspect any foul play.”
Billy Ray Johnson, 66, was trying to fix a gun when it fired, shooting himself in the hand and leg, Stancil said. A 24-year-old woman also was shot in the leg during the incident, which occurred in the 10200 block of Third Street S.E.
The two were transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. She was treated and released, police said. He was in stable condition Sunday night, a nursing supervisor said.
Originally, investigators were told the shooting happened during a confrontation and that a suspect fled the scene. That story was determined to be fabricated, police said.
Lisa Pemberton lpemberton@ theolympian.com
