Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Here is Why You Don't Drink and Hunt.

Please Don't Drink and Hunt:
Here is a perfect reason why you shouldn't drink and hunt, also it is a perfect reason why you should be sure what you are shooting at before you pull the trigger. You can not recall a bullet once you have pulled the trigger.

From the Grand Forks, Herald 11-22-2006
Maplewood man charged in death of young hunter had been drinking The Associated Press - Wednesday, November 22, 2006 AITKIN, Minn. A Maplewood man had been drinking alcohol before he mistook a teenage boy for a deer and fatally shot him, according to a criminal complaint. Steven John Ferguson, 45, who was arraigned on second-degree manslaughter charges Tuesday in Aitkin County District Court, told authorities he thought he had seen brown deer hide through a thicket near his deer stand before twice firing his rifle, the complaint said. Authorities said the second shot likely struck Brandon Mitchell Lanie in the head, killing the 14-year-old. Lanie, who was a ninth-grader at Buffalo High School, was wearing blaze orange clothes and a camouflage baseball cap. Lanie was hunting with a group just north of Mille Lacs Lake.

According to the complaint, Ferguson called police around 5 p.m. Saturday after discovering he had shot Brandon. He said he fired twice after hearing leaves crunch and seeing something brown move through the thickets. He said Brandon had brown hair that looked like a deer's back. Prosecutor Lisa R. Rakotz said Ferguson admitted that he had been drinking alcohol Saturday, which was confirmed by a witness. The witness said Ferguson has had several drunken-driving convictions - state records show about five since 1993 - and that his driver's license was conditional upon not drinking. Ferguson's attorney, Ryan Garry, said after the hearing that Ferguson, who posted bail, sent his "deepest regards and sympathy to the family" of the victim. "It was a horrific, tragic accident," Garry said.

2 comments:

C. Y. said...

"several drunken-driving convictions - state records show about five since 1993 - "

What part of "Alcohol is not your friend" don't you understand??

Doesn't MN require blaze orange headgear like ND does?

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Eric J. Burton said...

I think actually they do? I haven't hunted there for some time though.