Man Reports Being Shot Twice In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A backcountry hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was transported to a hospital Friday afternoon with two gunshot wounds in his leg.

Park officials say a 911 call was made to Cocke County Dispatch just after 5 p.m. from a man who said he had been shot while hiking in the Laurel Springs Road area near Cosby.

Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene to find that the individual, a 29-year-old male, did indeed have two gunshot wounds to his lower leg. He was flown to University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment.

"The man claimed to have not seen his assailant, but did hear two gun shots just before he realized he had been struck," park officials said.

Park rangers were working with the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office to secure the area along Laurel Springs Road, the closest road area to where the shooting incident reportedly occurred.

“We do not perceive any threat to visitors inside the park as this incident occurred in a remote area well off established trails,” said Chief Park Ranger Clay Jordan.