Georgia man wounds mother-in-law after bullet ricochets off armadillo

Authorities say a man shot an armadillo, but ended up accidentally wounding his mother-in-law when the bullet ricocheted off the mammal’s hard shell.

Sheriff’s deputies told WALB-TV that 54-year-old Larry McElroy fired his 9mm pistol at the armadillo on Sunday night in the southern state of Georgia.

Deputies say the bullet killed the armadillo, but bounced off the animal, hit a fence, traveled through the back door of the mother-in-law’s mobile home and the recliner in which she was sitting, striking her in the back.

McElroy’s 74-year-old mother-in-law, Carol Johnson, suffered injuries described as non-life-threatening. Sheriff’s investigator Bill Smith said she was walking and talking afterward.

Sherriff’s deputies say McElroy was about 100 yards (90 meters) away from the home when he shot the armadillo.