Shot slaughterman dies
A slaughterman who was shot with a bolt gun used to cull foot-and-mouth affected animals has died.
Cumbria Police say Steven Smart, 28, of St Leonards, East Sussex, died at Newcastle General Hospital at 5pm.
Mr Smart, a former butcher, suffered serious head injuries after the weapon was discharged at Great Orton, Cumbria, on Wednesday.
A 37-year-old man, from Atherstone, Warwickshire, is being questioned by police in connection with the shooting.
Police have refused to speculate on what happened during the incident at the former airfield, which has now been set aside for the slaughter and burial of animals.
Officers have been working with Britain's Health and Safety Executive. It is believed officers are investigating the possibility of a disagreement between the pair or whether the accident was caused by a prank which went wrong.
Earlier a Cumbria Police spokesman said: "It is impossible to say what happened at this stage. We have a team of officers working on it.
"I can confirm that we are examining weapons involved in the slaughter of animals."
Mr Smart, who was one of many slaughtermen drafted in from across the country to help with the mass cull of livestock, was initially treated at Cumberland General Infirmary before being transferred to Newcastle General Hospital.
Friends of the victim said Mr Smart had lost his job as a butcher because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.
