Man fires shotgun at a stray cat, hits two people

INDON -- Lindon police arrested a man for firing a sawed-off shotgun in his own backyard. When the man missed his original target, the stray pellets hit two people.

A driving instructor and a student were filling up at a gas station when they were hit. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

When police investigated, they tracked the stray pellets back to 52-year-old Kay Fotheringham. Police say Fotheringham told them he was actually aiming for a stray cat that was chasing birds in his yard. The cat escaped, apparently unharmed, but the stray pellets hit a nearby trailer, then the driving instructor, his student and the car, all several yards away.

Police say Fotheringham had been heavily drinking.

Chief Cody Cullimore, with the Lindon Police Department, said, "Alcohol and firearms never go together. This situation, luckily, wasn't tragic, but could have been a very serious problem."

Police say at first Fotheringham denied firing the gun but later admitted to it. He was booked into the Utah County jail for reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and discharging a firearm in the city. Fotheringham has since been released from jail. Police say he has no prior history.

Police say the sawed-off shotgun Fotheringham used wasn't legal; that'll mean a federal felony charge.