Missouri hiker shot in the chest after hunter mistook victim for turkey at Weldon Spring Conservation Area in St Charles County. Shooting occurred during last weekend of turkey hunting season.
A Missouri hiker was shot in the chest over the weekend after a hunter mistook him for a turkey.
St. Charles County police responded to the shooting at the Lewis and Clark Trail at the August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Area, about 32 miles west of St. Louis, around 12:30 p.m, Saturday early afternoon.
The hiker needed to be airlifted out of the area and taken to a trauma center where he remained in serious condition, KSDK reported.
The Missouri Department of Conservation was managing a turkey hunt at the time of the shooting, and a sign near the entrance of the trail stated that the hunt was ongoing until 1 p.m, according to KSDK. Sunday is the final day of turkey hunting season in Missouri.
‘I could hear voices, and then I saw a hunter with a large rifle and dressed head to toe in camouflage clothes,’ said a witness, who asked not to be identified.
Freak accident
Witnesses reported that the shooting appeared to be a freak accident.
Nancy Phillips of St. Louis said she hikes regularly along the Lewis Trail loop, where the man was shot.
‘This is a freak accident, I think. I always purposely wear my bright colors, so no hunters mistake me for anything,’ said Phillips.
Neither the victim nor the hunter have been identified.
No charges have been filed yet, but the St. Charles County Police Department said its investigation is ongoing.
The incident remains under investigation by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
