WALES, Maine — A local hunter was shot and killed by another hunter who may have been pursuing the same deer, an official with the Maine Warden Service said Wednesday.
Gerard Parent, 49, of Wales was fatally shot at about 4 p.m. Tuesday by Christopher Austin, 41, also of Wales, according to a press release issued about noon Wednesday by John MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Maine Warden Service.
MacDonald said the two men were hunting deer independently of one another in an area located between East Road and Route 126.
A preliminary investigation indicates both men were hunting with rifles and pursuing the same deer, according to the release. During the course of the incident, both men fired at what is believed to be the same deer. Austin fired two shots and Parent fired one shot, MacDonald said. Early indications are that Austin’s second shot struck Parent, killing him, according to the warden service.
The medical examiner’s office was scheduled to conduct an exam of Parent on Wednesday, according to the release.
Nearly two dozen game wardens and approximately 10 state troopers went to the scene of the shooting after it was reported about 4:19 p.m. Tuesday.
MacDonald said warden service canines, forensic mappers, aircraft and evidence response teams from both the warden service and Maine State Police were employed as the investigation continued throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Investigation efforts also were supported by both Monmouth and Wales Fire and Rescue departments.
The Maine Warden Service will continue its investigation in cooperation with the attorney general’s office and the medical examiner’s office. The primary warden assigned to the incident is Warden Peter Herring and Sgt. Dave Chabot. Members of the state police criminal investigation division also are assisting with the investigation.
The Waterville Morning Sentinel said Tuesday evening that emergency dispatch reports indicated the hunter had been shot in the jugular.
Edit: Condolences to his family.
It says he died.
Sincere best wishes to the family.
well when you are hit either in the jugular or carotid well chances are unless someone with expert medical training is there to stop the massive bleeding
if he survives wonder where they will lifeflight him to
You didnt read the article…Says he died…
Not originally it didn’t. The article was updated.
Please if you are out there hunting this year,IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET!
Seriously. If this was a mistake in identity then that hunter should never be allowed to hunt with a firearm. There is no excuse, if that is the case, for not knowing exactly what you are shooting at…ever.
you are so very correct. I have hunted all my life.I have given up more than one deer not being 100% sure. But when the deer would run away,I would feel good that I did the rite thing and did not shoot not being sure
Passed up the biggest buck I’d ever seen a few years ago. Had him dead to rights, but I knew another member of our party was downrange cleaning a deer that he’d just taken. Pulled the rifle up, locked on… & let him go. Couldn’t take the chance. My father in law took him down the next weekend. Ranked 2nd in the state that year by Boone & Crockett. Yeah, that head is on his wall & laughs @ me every time I visit. I’ll take that unhappy memory over the alternative.
You got a very funny story out of being safe though.
you deserve to have that head, friend
And make sure no one is DOWN RANGE !
know your target and beyond plain and simple prayers to both the deceased and tothe other man whos gotta live with this for the rest of his lfe very sad
I will never ever understand it why something like this would happen. 100% recognition of your target is the absolute rule when firing at anything.
I wonder what will happen to the person(s) responsible when all of the facts are known. All I know is, “The maximum range of an excuse is 0 meters”
Nothing will happen. It will be called an accident, as though that made the event unavoidable.
good old boys network will protect the hunter. just like that case back in the 80s in Hermon where a young mother got shot in her own backyard.
That woman in Hermon that got shot was so wrong.But the man that shot her was a boy scout leader so that was ok. He should have been shot.
Please that is such a sad thing to say. I cant believe you really believe that.
you would think alot different if that was your wife. People in the USA need to start paying big time for what they do wrong.
,,,,,,,
There is no human being in this world that looks anything like a deer. I will tell you the same thing.If you lost a close loved one this way.You would think alot different.
As of dusk Saturday, the woods will be a lot safer. Good riddance to another hunting season.
Terrible ,terrible accident, and very avoidable. A damn shame.
Hunting is scary. I dread the day my son wants to go.
Hunting is one of the safest sports your son could do. I can not think of a better way to spend an Oct. or Nov. day then in the Maine woods. There are far worst thing a young man could be doing.
I respect your opinion, and agree that being in the woods is wonderful, but I can think of safer options. I won’t tell him no, but I’ll worry.
This is such a sad thing too happen, condolences to the families.
As for judging …………………. I’ll wait for more information.
In past years high powered rifle bullets have passed through my buildings. Accidents happen. And this unfortunate shooting death is just one more reason I’m glad I moved my office down below ground level into my solar radiant heated cellar.
The humble Farmer
There should be some really serious consequences for shooting
another hunter. These incidents seem to be investigated and never
have any major penalty imposed and everyone goes on about their
business except the dead guy. Seems to me a mandatory 5 or 10
year prison term for shooting another, no matter the injury or death,
might make one consider target aquisition and safety,
a little higher priority.
They should be shot.SORRY.
This does not sound like an accident. After the first shot the deer would have been gone. It sounds like Austin shot first, then Parent returned fire, then Austin’s second round found its target, right between two pieces of blaze orange.
I think that if you are going to accuse someone of murder you should have the decency to use your real name.
Things like this should never happen… RIP fellow hunter, thoughts and prayers to the family.
Manslaughter charges would seem to apply. This does not appear to be accidental.
It’s amazing how you are able to determine that without any evidence or facts! You should offer your psychic services to the State agencies who are working hard to figure out just what happened, you could save them a lot of time and money
Remedial Hunting Safety 101: ALWAYS identify what you are aiming at PRIOR to discharging your gun. If you do not have clear identification of what it is you are aiming at DON’T DISCHARGE YOUR GUN. Anyone who thinks this type of incident is an accident is wrong….it’s NOT an accident- it is completely 100% preventable. If the hunter had identified his ‘target’ prior to shooting at the ‘target’ he would have been able to identify said ‘target’ as another hunter- NOT a deer- and no one would have been killed. There are some people in this world who should not own guns and Christopher Austin is one of those people. Does Mr. Austin feel badly ? I’m sure he does and I’m equally sure he should- he killed another person- intentionally or by ‘accident’ Gerald Parent is still dead.
Hopefully you are never selected for jury duty in any possible “accidental death” case, as you clearly have made your decision prior to all the “facts” being collected and presented for an objectionable review.
Hopefully Christopher Austin is never allowed to own a weapon again. Here’s a little tidbit for you to ponder… known as MANSLAUGHTER: ‘The unjustifiable, inexcusable, and intentional killing of a human being without deliberation, premeditation, and malice. The unlawful killing of a human being without any deliberation, which may be involuntary, in the commission of a lawful act without due caution and circumspection’ This is no different than someone who gets behind the wheel drunk and kills someone by ‘accident.’ Welcome to personal responsibility and natural consequences to one’s actions.
So, if two men fired 3 shots at a deer, where is the deer? Upon whose testimony does this theory arise from? Are the authorities considering a possible gunfight in the woods over territory? The woods do strange things to people.
Another “possible scenario” not yet mentioned is that IF:both men were inline with each other with the target deer in-between and were in fact shooting at their intended and identified target (the deer) and fired…possibly over-shooting and hitting an unintended target (the other hunter).
When being shot at, the muzzle sound of a firearm is not the same sound as from any other angle. Instead of the loud BANG normally heard, it’s more like a POP-CRACK sound and can be misleading as to it’s direction of origin if one is not familiar with such discharges from firearms.
In any event, this is a very tragic accident to which families and friends from both sides are surly saddened.
Prayers to both sides in this loss.