Police say that 13-year-old girl was taken to hospital after being struck by bullet fragments on Friday night near Jan Lake, during a Ministry of Environment operation to remove four problem bears from the area.
At around 10 p.m. a Ministry of Environment Conservation officer fired a shotgun up at the bears in a tree. A member of the public, who was assisting the officer, shot his firearm at one of the bears after it hit the ground, according to police.
The girl, who was standing away from the scene on a half-ton truck, was hit by a ricochet bullet fragment. She was taken to hospital in Flin Flon, Manitoba, and treated for her injuries, which police are described as non-life threatening.
RCMP also seized a number of fire arms at the scene, and will be investigating this matter further with assistance from the Ministry of Environment.
The Ministry says that they have been dealing with a number of bear incidents in the Jan Lake area, which includes the live-trapping of a bear last week. The conservation officers were called by local outfitting camps, to assist with the four bears.
Jan Lake is located approximately 68 km northwest of Flin Flon Manitoba.
