IUKA, Miss. (WTVA) — A hunting accident in Tishomingo County claimed the life of a teenager.
Coroner Mack Wilemon identified the teenager as Justin Lee Smith, 17, of Supply, North Carolina.
Smith was in a ladder stand Saturday afternoon about 200 yards off of County Road 369 in the northwest part of the county near the Alcorn County line when the accident happened.
According to Wilemon, the stand apparently shifted and turned to one side.
The coroner said Smith fell approximately 10 feet from the top of the stand and he was impaled in his chest by the barrel of his rifle.
Smith did call for help with his cell phone, but he died shortly after that call.
A state wildlife officer is investigating the accident.