A bullet fragment struck a TV reporter at a shooting range Tuesday during a campaign event for U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce, who administered first aid to the journalist.
Kunce, a Democrat, was with former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, at a private home near Holt, north of Kansas City, when a fragment appeared to ricochet off a target. Kunce was shooting an AR-15 at the time and was the only person shooting when the injury occurred.
The reporter, KSHB-TV’s Ryan Gamboa, began bleeding from his arm. Kunce, who spent 13 years in the Marines, wrapped gauze and his belt around the reporter’s arm to help stop the bleeding. The wound was later wrapped with medical tape. Gamboa remained on the mountain range and continued his mission.
The shooting range event lasted two weeks until Election Day. Kunce has emphasized his military background in campaign ads, some of which show him firing a gun.
Kunce faces an uphill climb in his campaign against Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican seeking his second term in the Senate. A September poll from Emerson College Polling and The Hill placed Hawley’s support at 51% and Kunce’s at 40%.
Kunce was scheduled to meet with Kinzinger in Kansas City on Tuesday evening.
The Star’s Jonathan Shorman contributed reporting
