WASHINGTON — Maryland Natural Resources Police say the bullet that struck the kayaker Saturday evening in Anne Arundel County was fired from a handgun.
Daniel Seafolk-Kopp, 56, of Reston, was hit as he paddled on Bodkin Creek in Pasadena.
“We got confirmation from the state police forensics lab, and that confirmed that the bullet that struck our paddler was either a 357 or 9 mm round,” says Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
Police have no suspects.
The kayaker told police that he heard a party onshore and saw a bonfire. He then noticed a red dot on his shirt, which he believes was from a laser. Then he felt the pain of a gunshot to his abdomen.
Seafolk-Kopp was able to paddle ashore, but was in such pain that he couldn’t climb out of the kayak. He wasn’t discovered until 10:30 a.m. Sunday – some 12 hours after he was shot.
“We are surmising based on the wound that it was fired from a fairly long distance at least a football field away, probably much more than that,” Thomson says. “The bullet just didn’t have the velocity, thank goodness, to do much damage to the victim.”
The kayaker is recovering from his wound and will eventually return to the scene with police to help further the investigation.
Maryland Natural Resources Police are asking the public for help.
“People in the neighborhood were out and maybe sitting on their decks, sitting on patios, maybe someone on a boat heard or saw something,” Thomson says.
Call 410-260-8888 with any information.
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