Rangers investigating shooting of man near park

A man who told authorities he was shot while hiking off-trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park now says the incident occurred outside of the park boundaries.

Sanford Lethco initially said he was hiking off-trail in the Smokies near Cosby on Friday when two gunshots struck him in the lower right leg. The 29-year-old, who lives in Sevier County, was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and released the next day.
Park officials on Monday said Lethco confessed to investigators that the gunshot wounds were sustained in an incident outside the park. They didn't provide any additional information.
"Park investigators have been working with the Sevier County Sheriff's Office who has now taken the lead on the shooting case," Chief Ranger Clay Jordan said.