Police have launched a preliminary investigation into manslaughter.

At the time of the shooting, three hunters were in the vicinity of the shelter, two outside and one inside.

The one hunter fired an practice shot at a target and, for reasons which remain unclear, a third person walked into the line of fire and was hit.

When police and an ambulance arrived on the scene at 5.22pm the victim, a 62-year-old man from Härnösand, was pronounced dead.

The weapon from which the shot was fired has been confiscated as a part of the preliminary investigation, but there is currently nothing to indicate the shooting was deliberate.

“No, we have no such suspicions right now, in any case,” said Leif Nilsson of the Västernorrland county police.

Police plan to conduct interviews with those involved in the incident during the evening in order to get a more precise understanding of what happened.

In addition, a number of forensic specialists will examine the scene as well as conduce a medical examiner of the body.

Christina Nilson-Dag of the Swedish Hunters’ Association (Svenska Jägarförbundet) said that deadly hunting accidents are extremely rare.

“We have 300,000 hunters in the country so it’s a very safe recreational activity. Driving to and from a hunt in a care is probably more dangerous than the actual hunting,” Nilsson-Dag told TT.

He said the association spends a lot of time addressing safety issues.

“Practical safety exercises are included for everyone who takes the hunting exam,” she said.