Emergency crews were called to the range about 5:30 p.m. and the woman was flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. She underwent surgery and remained in serious condition as of Friday evening, Kelly said.
Detectives spoke to her in the hospital on Friday afternoon, he said, and determined that the shooting was most likely a suicide attempt.
>>RELATED: Sheriff: Woman shoots self intentionally at Fox Shooting Loft
The Fox Shooting Loft has a reputation for being a safe place, Kelly said. Customers are briefed on safety procedures before they’re allowed to use a gun, he said.
“They don’t allow anyone to go and fire a weapon without going over all the protocol first,” he said.
Employees at the Fox Shooting Loft declined to comment on the shooting, but said they do have a safety policy.
Safety at gun ranges is a top priority, said Skip McGee, owner of Mad River Armory and Range in Springfield.
“I don’t want anybody hurt,” he said. “Guns can be fun, they can be dangerous, but they need to be respected not feared.”
All of his customers are required to watch a video on gun safety and answer quiz questions before shooting for the first time, he said.
It’s also a rule to never point a gun at anyone, he said.
“The weapons are always pointed down range, parallel to the floor in a safe direction,” he said. “At all times.”
McGee always requests identification to allow someone to rent a gun, he said, and will refuse service to anyone he believes is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
He finds it hard to believe someone would go to a shooting range to harm themselves, he said, but there’s not a lot a gun range can do to stop someone with that intention.
“I don’t know if there’s much you’re going to do to prevent that,” he said.
Kelly agreed that even the toughest of safety measures might not have made a difference in this instance.
“They practice gun safety but you can’t prevent someone from doing an intentional act like this,” he said.
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