Just Plain Dumb

This guy is definitely in the running for the Darwin Award:

NORTH HAVEN — A man who allegedly used a shotgun to try to get rid of a tree limb in his backyard has been arrested.Antonio Chiaia, 74, of 9 Cricket Court, was arrested at his home Saturday morning after a neighbor reported he was discharging a shotgun in his yard, Capt. James Merrithew said.Chiaia told police he could not reach the tree limb with a saw, so he was trying to remove it by shooting at it. The branch is still there, Merrithew said.The gun, a double-barrel 12-gauge, was seized, and Chiaia was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm and second-degree reckless endangerment. He is scheduled to appear July 16 in Superior Court in Meriden.