A bullet fragment struck a TV reporter at a shooting range during a campaign event on Tuesday for U.S. Senate candidate Lucas Kunce, who provided first aid to the journalist. Kunce, a Democrat, was at a private residence near Holt north of Kansas City with former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, when a fragment appeared to have ricocheted 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 at the range and continued on his assignment.
Kunce said he had a first-aid kit on hand, allowing him to respond quickly. “You never know what’s going to happen—shrapnel can ricochet off anything, and you’ve got to be prepared,” Kunce said in a written statement. “We were able to handle the situation, and I’m grateful Ryan is okay and could continue reporting.” The shooting range event came with 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% to Kunce’s 40%. Kunce was set to hold a rally Tuesday evening with Kinzinger in Kansas City.
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