Woman walking dogs shot dead by hunter who 'thought she was a deer'
A New York woman out walking her dogs has been fatally shot by a hunter who claimed he thought she was a deer.
Rosemary Billquist wasn't far from her home in Sherman, Pennsylvania when she was suddenly shot in the hip.
When deputies arrived to the scene, 34-year-old Thomas B. Jadlowski told them he was the one who had pulled the trigger.
He said he thought Ms Billquist was a deer, and fired his pistol from about 180 metres away.
When he heard a scream, he ran in the direction of the sound and discovered Billquist.
Jadlowski called 911 and tried to save her by applying pressure to the bullet wound until first responders arrived.
She was later pronounced dead at UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Her hearbroken husband, Jamie Billquist, paid tribute to his late wife in a touching Facebook post.
“I will miss you and love you forever and I know your dancing in heaven with your momma and all of our friends and family that we have lost,” Mr Billquist wrote Thursday.
No charges have been filed in the shooting, but the investigation is continuing.
The sheriff’s office determined that the shot was fired after sunset, which is forbidden by local law.
The Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office is due to determine whether to bring a criminal case against Jadlowski.
