A bullet intended for a bear ended up striking a 17-year-old boy in the chest in Eastern Shasta County Friday evening. A woman called 9-1-1 to say they would bring the patient to meet medical help at the intersection of Big Bend Road and Highway 299. The 17-year-old victim was taken from there by helicopter to Mercy Medical Center where, at last word, he was listed in stable condition. There were four people with the victim and the story they told is that they were at their campsite in Big Bend when an adult friend shot at a bear nearby. He missed the bear and the bullet ricocheted off of a rock or rock wall and struck the boy. After an investigation, the sheriff’s office says it appears to be purely accidental.