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ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- A man told deputies he thought he was shooting a raccoon early Wednesday morning when he shot and wounded a roommate outside their rural King County home.



The shooting happened just after 3 a.m. outside a home in the 19400 block of SE May Valley Road.



A resident at the home later told deputies he has a number of chickens and had been having problems with raccoons, according to the King County sheriff's office.



The man said some sort of "disturbance" early Wednesday was making his chickens act up. He told deputies he grabbed a flashlight and a gun and went outside to investigate.



When he got outside, he said he saw two eyes reflecting in the darkness. Thinking it was a raccoon, the man aimed his gun and fired, according to the sheriff's office.



Instead of a raccoon, the resident quickly realized he had shot a man. Deputies say the victim also lives at the home, but it's unclear why he was outside or if he identified himself before the shooting.



When police and medics arrived at the scene, the victim first told them he had shot himself. He later changed his story and said his roommate had mistaken him for a raccoon and shot him.



The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition to be treated for a gunshot wound to his shoulder.



The shooter was arrested and booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault and possession of a stolen firearm, according to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office is still investigating the case, calling it "somewhat of a mystery."