Police: Provo man died trying to disprove TV show

Gun accident was prompted by "Forensic Files"

By Journal staff | Saturday, August 04, 2007

A Provo man fatally shot himself with a shotgun while trying to disprove a popular TV crime show, according to authorities.

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Earl F. Ellwanger Jr., 55, accidentally shot himself in the stomach about 7 p.m. Tuesday and died of his wounds Thursday at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Editor's note: This story has been amended to reflect who was at home the time of the shooting and which TV show he was watching, which was incorrectly reported in the original version.

Ellwanger saw a television episode of "Forensic Files" in which investigators were trying to show that a woman couldn't have shot herself in the stomach.

"He decided to show that the program was incorrect and didn't realize the shotgun was loaded," said Fall River County Sheriff Jeff Tarrell .

Ellswanger's fiancee waspresent at Ellwanger's home in Provo when the accident occurred.

Ellwanger was taken by ambulance to Minnekahta Junction, where the ambulance was met by a Black Hills Life Flight aircraft, which flew him to Regional Hospital.

The Fall River County Sheriff's Office and Edgemont ambulance service responded.

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