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Aurora man taking target practice charged after arrow strikes his neighbor

An Aurora man has been charged after a hunting arrow missed a fake deer target in his backyard, traveled across the street, and struck a neighbor in the knee, police said.

Aurora police said they responded about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to a 911 call from a man reporting he had been shot with an arrow on the 3100 block of Timber Hill Lane. The man told responding officers he was outside painting and felt a sharp pain from his knee. When he looked down, he saw an arrow protruding from his leg.

The man was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Officers began conducting an investigation and interviewed a neighbor across the street. The neighbor, 25-year-old Daniel Smorczewski, told officers he was in his backyard using a bow and arrow to practice shooting, officials said. He said one of the arrows missed the target and he lost track of it.

Smorczewski told officers he packed up the bow and target and put them back in his garage before officers and paramedics responded to the scene.

Smorczewski was arrested and has been charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless conduct.

Aurora police are reminding residents that arrows can be extremely dangerous weapons and should only be used responsibly and never in a residential area.

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