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Man shoots armadillo, bullet bounces, hits fence, goes through door, hits mother-in-law

An armadillo is seen around a golf course on May 5, 2010 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

LEESBURG, Georgia – Authorities say a man shot an armadillo, but ended up accidentally wounding his mother-in-law when the bullet ricocheted off the mammal known for its hard shell.

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

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Deputies say the bullet killed the armadillo, but bounced off the animal, hit a fence, travelled 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 metres) away from the home when he shot the armadillo.

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