By JEREMY SCHIFFRES
City Editor
jschiffres@freemanonline.com; twitter.com/JeremyInNY

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — A 54-year-old Putnam County woman was struck by a stray bullet Saturday evening while picking corn and strawberries in a field off Phillips Road in Saugerties, according to the town police chief.

Joseph Sinagra said the woman, a Holmes resident  whose name he did not provide, was struck in the back just before 6 p.m. and that the injury was not considered life-threatening. He said the woman was able to walk after being hit.

The woman was taken to Albany Medical Center by the Diaz Ambulance squad, Sinagra said.

The chief said the woman, who was visiting a Phillips Road resident, was in the field with a companion when they heard gunshots and she felt something strike her back.

Sinagra said the area is popular among small-game hunters and target shooters and that the bullet probably was fired by such a person. The shot apparently came from a heavily wooded area, the chief said.

He said the bullet that struck the woman was small -caliber, probably a .22.

The chief said police are considering the incident accidental, not criminal.

He said police were in the process of interviewing several people who were firing shots in the area, though he noted the person responsible may not have been aware of what happened.

Sinagra said police had not yet received the bullet from the hospital, so ballistics testing was not yet possible.

He said anyone who was shooting in the area at the time or who has information that might be helpful to investigators should call the Saugerties Police Department at (845) 246-9800. Continued...

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Saugerties police were assisted at the scene by the state police, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and town of Woodstock police, Sinagra said.

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