The circus artist was shot during an act that went horribly wrong.

She was standing behind a thin cloth when a crossbowman fired an arrow at her, as planned. The lights were supposed to go out and she would step aside just in time to avoid the shot.

“Something went wrong in their communication,” explained circus director Robert Bronett.

“He aimed correctly but something went wrong.”

Bronett said that the crossbowman was “shocked” and “devastated” by the mishap but that luckily he had fired a weak shot and the woman is not seriously injured.

Though the arrow did hit her, when an ambulance arrived she was apparently able to walk and lie down on a stretcher without assistance.

Roughly 2,000 people attended the show, which went on as usual after the accident.

Some witnesses said they realized something had gone wrong when they saw the woman clenching her belly and the crossbowman disappeared backstage.

Others, however, thought it was part of the act.

“I thought it was some kind of joke,” audience member Martin Duvemark told the Expressen newspaper.

“Another female artist who was singing just continued to sing so we didn’t really understand what had happened,” he added.

The police confirmed that the woman had been shot and told the Aftonbladet newspaper that the incident would be treated as a work place accident unless other, contradicting, details emerge.

TT/The Local/nr

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