Willie
05-06-2005, 06:37 PM
DUMB!!
ST. CROIX - A Washington (Ind.) man hunting turkeys in northern Perry County first denied accidentally shooting another hunter Monday, but later fell to his knees and admitted to the shotgun blast that seriously injured a Santa Claus Indiana man.
Rod K. Emmons, 48, was listed in serious condition Wednesday in the surgical
intensive-care unit of University Hospital in Louisville, Ky. More than 30
shotgun pellets penetrated the man's chest and abdomen, investigators said.
The hunter accused of shooting him, 45-year-old Vincent D. Deitz Jr., faces
possible criminal charges. Investigators are expected to submit their report
to the county prosecutor's office this week.
According to information provided The News by Joe Lackey and Phil Schuetter, two of several Indiana Department of Natural Resources officers working the case, Deitz was hunting for turkeys on private property south of Indiana 62 west of St. Croix. Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Emmons and his 15-year-old son, who were also hunting for turkeys that morning, walked through the same area.
Deitz, who was on the opposite side of a line of trees, allegedly mistook
the sounds the father and son were making for turkeys and fired a round from
his 12-gauge shotgun, striking the elder Emmons above the waist.
All three hunters were wearing full camouflage commonly worn by turkey
hunters, Schuetter said.
According to officers, Deitz ran up to the father and son immediately after
the shooting but instead of saying he had fired the gun, allegedly indicated
the blast had come from someone else nearby. Deitz then ran for help.
The injured man's son, using a cell phone, reported the shooting at 10:43
a.m. "My dad's just been shot by some turkey hunter," the teen can be heard
saying on the recorded 911 call. His name was not released by police.
The teen remained on the phone at his father's side until help arrived.
Meanwhile, Deitz drove to a neighbor's house and had a woman dial 911 nine
minutes after the first call was made to police.
Handed the phone by the elderly resident, Deitz gave a dispatcher the
location where Emmons was wounded and agreed to direct police to the scene.
However, Deitz never admitted to being the shooter during the conversation.
"A feller got shot and might need an ambulance," he said. At one point,
Deitz told dispatchers he had tried unsuccessfully to get Emmons on his feet
so he could seek medical care.
The county's rescue squad and EMS transported Emmons to a field where a
medical helicopter had room to land. He was flown directly to Louisville.
Deitz returned to the scene with a state police trooper, but Schuetter and
Lackey said the man directly denied any involvement. Officers allege Deitz
did more than lie about his responsibility, but actually hid the gun and the
spent shell casing in his truck after the shooting and even handed
conservation officers another type of shotgun shell. However, the pellets
pulled from trees in the area where Emmons was hit didn't match those in the
shells Deitz said he was using.
A discarded piece of chewing gum Lackey said matched the kind Deitz had in
his possession was found near where the shot was likely fired.
Officers eventually asked permission to search Deitz's pickup. He refused,
but after learning a search warrant was going to be requested, he gave
officers consent to search the truck and then admitted to firing the shot
that injured Emmons. At one point, a sobbing Deitz dropped to his knees in
remorse. "Something in him snapped and he said he did it," Lackey said.
Deitz later apologized to Emmons' son.
Deitz had heard turkeys in the area that morning and said he had shot at one
but missed. He likely fired through the vegetation at the sounds Emmons and
his son were making over 100 feet away, confusing them for a turkey,
Schuetter said.
ST. CROIX - A Washington (Ind.) man hunting turkeys in northern Perry County first denied accidentally shooting another hunter Monday, but later fell to his knees and admitted to the shotgun blast that seriously injured a Santa Claus Indiana man.
Rod K. Emmons, 48, was listed in serious condition Wednesday in the surgical
intensive-care unit of University Hospital in Louisville, Ky. More than 30
shotgun pellets penetrated the man's chest and abdomen, investigators said.
The hunter accused of shooting him, 45-year-old Vincent D. Deitz Jr., faces
possible criminal charges. Investigators are expected to submit their report
to the county prosecutor's office this week.
According to information provided The News by Joe Lackey and Phil Schuetter, two of several Indiana Department of Natural Resources officers working the case, Deitz was hunting for turkeys on private property south of Indiana 62 west of St. Croix. Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Emmons and his 15-year-old son, who were also hunting for turkeys that morning, walked through the same area.
Deitz, who was on the opposite side of a line of trees, allegedly mistook
the sounds the father and son were making for turkeys and fired a round from
his 12-gauge shotgun, striking the elder Emmons above the waist.
All three hunters were wearing full camouflage commonly worn by turkey
hunters, Schuetter said.
According to officers, Deitz ran up to the father and son immediately after
the shooting but instead of saying he had fired the gun, allegedly indicated
the blast had come from someone else nearby. Deitz then ran for help.
The injured man's son, using a cell phone, reported the shooting at 10:43
a.m. "My dad's just been shot by some turkey hunter," the teen can be heard
saying on the recorded 911 call. His name was not released by police.
The teen remained on the phone at his father's side until help arrived.
Meanwhile, Deitz drove to a neighbor's house and had a woman dial 911 nine
minutes after the first call was made to police.
Handed the phone by the elderly resident, Deitz gave a dispatcher the
location where Emmons was wounded and agreed to direct police to the scene.
However, Deitz never admitted to being the shooter during the conversation.
"A feller got shot and might need an ambulance," he said. At one point,
Deitz told dispatchers he had tried unsuccessfully to get Emmons on his feet
so he could seek medical care.
The county's rescue squad and EMS transported Emmons to a field where a
medical helicopter had room to land. He was flown directly to Louisville.
Deitz returned to the scene with a state police trooper, but Schuetter and
Lackey said the man directly denied any involvement. Officers allege Deitz
did more than lie about his responsibility, but actually hid the gun and the
spent shell casing in his truck after the shooting and even handed
conservation officers another type of shotgun shell. However, the pellets
pulled from trees in the area where Emmons was hit didn't match those in the
shells Deitz said he was using.
A discarded piece of chewing gum Lackey said matched the kind Deitz had in
his possession was found near where the shot was likely fired.
Officers eventually asked permission to search Deitz's pickup. He refused,
but after learning a search warrant was going to be requested, he gave
officers consent to search the truck and then admitted to firing the shot
that injured Emmons. At one point, a sobbing Deitz dropped to his knees in
remorse. "Something in him snapped and he said he did it," Lackey said.
Deitz later apologized to Emmons' son.
Deitz had heard turkeys in the area that morning and said he had shot at one
but missed. He likely fired through the vegetation at the sounds Emmons and
his son were making over 100 feet away, confusing them for a turkey,
Schuetter said.