Father, 36, killed when rifle being worked on at gun range accidentally fires

HOUSTON, Texas -- As deputies gathered details at Hot Wells Shooting Range, employees reacted to news of 36-year-old Joshua Cummings' death.

"Just a terrible tragedy," Hot Wells employee Stacy Byrd said.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, it all started when an employee was working on a hunting rifle. It went off in what they're calling an accidental discharge.

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"The bullet went through the wall of the small range house and struck a patron who was walking through the parking lot," explained Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland.

Life Flight was called and Cummings was taken to Memorial Hermann Downtown, but he didn't make it. In a statement, Hot Wells said:

"We simply do not have the words to express the sorrow in our hearts. For 44 years we have operated this facility accident free, yet today we are shaken by tragedy. There is an ongoing investigation into the circumstances that surround this accident, and until that investigation is complete we will have no comment on the accident details. We understand that this accident has, and will continue to affect the lives of many. We ask that our community joins us in prayer for the healing of all parties involved."

Homicide detectives were interviewing all the employees and trying to determine if human error or a gun malfunction took Cummings' life. Regardless, it's a sad scene that will always stick with Byrd.

"I didn't really want to see that this morning," Byrd said. "I really didn't want to see that at all, ever."