Alex Schoenauer, a former mixed martial artist turned stuntman, was auditioning for a television show when things went terribly wrong. Schoenauer, who was a member of the cast on season one of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, was reportedly shot in the back by a semi-automatic assault rifle while auditioning for his role.
TMZ Sports had the news.
As a result of the incident, Schoenauer is suing JMP Productions and the stunt director. While the injuries suffered in the shooting were not life-threatening, Schoenauer reportedly suffered nerve damage and loss of motion.
Schoenauer was auditioning for a role in the series SEAL Team.
From the report:
According to the suit, Schoenauer’s audition called for him to burst through a door with a stuntwoman at the Oak Tree Gun Club in SoCal while both carrying semi-automatic assault rifles. Problem is … Schoenauer claims the guns were loaded with LIVE AMMO — and when the stuntwoman fired her gun, he was blasted through the upper back!!! Schoenauer says the bullet exited through his upper arm/shoulder — though he does not say in the lawsuit if the injuries he sustained were life-threatening.
The former mixed martial artist is also suing the woman who shot him.
Schoenauer was a member of Team Liddell on season one of TUF. He was coached by future Hall of Famer and former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell along the likes of Bobby Southworth, Sam Hoger, and another future Hall of Famer and champion in Forrest Griffin. Schoenauer was traded to Team Couture during a team shuffle midway through the season.
In his lone fight on the season, Schoenauer faced off against Forrest Griffin where he suffered a submission loss due to strikes just 80 seconds into the fight. Griffin would go on to win the season with his epic performance against Stephan Bonnar in the finale, one of the most important and exciting bouts in UFC history.
Schoenauer has previously done stunt work for films like Fast Five, End of Watch and Transformers.