Posted on 11/17/2010 10:11:17 AM PST by smokingfrog
ALLEGAN (WKZO) -- The name of the hunter involved in a fatal gun accident near Allegan has been released, and how they think he died. It appears Robert David Johnson of Bloomingdale climbed up into his tree stand in a wooded area off 44th Street in Cheshire Township.
Investigators believe he was pulling his shotgun up behind him when the trigger caught on the ladder and it discharged, striking him in the head.
His son heard the shot early morning, but did not think anything of it until his dad failed to appear for lunch. He went looking for him and found him dead from the gunshot wound. Johnson was 59.
Brent Rudolph with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment said they have been very successful at promoting hunter safety in the past few years, greatly reducing the frequency of gun accidents and human lives lost with a few basic rules.
"Always unload your firearm when you're getting in and out of a tree stand. At the same time, always treat a gun as if it is loaded," Rudolph said.
(Excerpt) Read more at wkzo.com ...
Really unfortunate, and really dumb. I feel so sorry for the kid that found him.
Bet he doesn’t do that again.
Unloaded guns NEVER accidentally discharge. Never trust a safety and never climb around with a loaded gun. Sermon over.
Basic firearms safety.
********************
Yes. The poor son. What a sad and entirely preventable tragedy.
Damn.
Well...I feel bad for his family, especially the son who found the body. I was originally going to make a glib comment but this is just too sad a situation for that. I wish the man had not had the mental lapse that cost him his life.
Sad.
Obsessive, rigid firearm safety at all times.
I never climb a tree or cross a fence with a bullet in the chamber. Never.
I’m guessing he got his limit.
Absolutely. Complacency kills. How sad.
Agreed, condolences to the family though.
I am in disbelief, loaded, chambered, cocked, and safety off, I am now ready to pull this weapon up into a tree?!?
Are we sure this was an accident? Suicide maybe?
Perhaps one of the most misguided questions ever asked...
“Is it loaded?”
Never allow your weapon to cross a plane in which a human or animal is present, unless you wish to end one of them.
This guy could have avoided chambering a shell. He could have avoided cocking the weapon. He could have devised a safer way to get the weapon up to his blind. He could have removed all the shells. Several of these ignore the number one rule of weapons.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN UNLOADED WEAPON
I’m sorry the kid had to be the one to find him.
I agree with your comments. Interesting question...
I was thinking the same thing. Might be suicide with a clause for suicide that would void it.
Ditto’s on the condolences, the obvious wreckless handling of the gun and as hard as it was for the boy to find his dad, the boy probably has learned from the dad to never do anything this stupid.
Most likely an accident due to being lazy, heedless or both.
To plan such a thing, with the knowledge your own son would find you like that, seems unlikely.
I knew a man who topped himself so that his family could collect the insurance. Clearly, his thinking was deranged and he was clinically depressed as his business had bankrupted, but he arranged it so that he would be found by officials, not his kin.
Even IF I was too lazy to unload my shotgun, or to engage the safety, I would still tie it to the rope such that the barrel was facing DOWN rather than UP. Its easiest by far to tie it to the stock than anywhere else.
The autopsy should be able to determine that. Even if it was deliberate and staged to look like an accident, it's hard to shoot yourself with a sidearm or long arm without leaving powder burns and stippling on the skin. Any device, mechanism or rig that would allow you to shoot yourself from a distance would be fairly evident after death.
Good point! Of course, the first step is remove the shells, but he should have pulled it up butt first.
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