An incident that occurred near Moffat Boulevard early Saturday morning left some residents fearing that there may have been a shooting – especially after word began to circulate that somebody had been shot in the face.

The truth – that somebody had injured themselves trying to chop wood for an illegal fire – was much more interesting.

The Manteca Police Department issued a Nixle warning urging motorists to stay away from the area after a closure decision was made following word that a man had been shot nearby, but when officers investigated the claim they began to be able to piece together what happened that resulted in a vagrant presenting themselves at a local emergency room with a head injury.  
According to the Manteca Police Department, it was a vagrant that had been living along the Highway 120 Bypass that reported that he had been shot after he arrived a local emergency room, and an investigation determined that the wound was not as the result of a gunshot, but from a piece of wood that flew up while trying to split a pallet in half with an axe to start a fire.

When officers went to the scene to investigate and talk with potential witnesses, they discovered the pallet, the axe with several drops of blood on the head of the axe, and several people who saw what happened and set the record straight.

The man was treated for his injuries and later released.

Because the incident happened in the Caltrans right of way, the incident was turned over to the California Highway Patrol for further investigation and follow-up.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.