What began as a father and son hunting trip ended in tragedy in Northern California. A little after 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, a 13-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his father, according to the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. The pair were hunting the flooded rice fields of rural Yolo County, a popular place for hunting ducks.
The boy called 911 immediately. Detectives investigating the incident reported that the boy told the dispatchers that his gun went off accidentally in the duck blind. The stray bullet hit his father. He immediately began CPR on his father in an effort to save his life. "The way that the call was placed and the totality of the circumstances, it appears to be a very tragic accident," Detective Matt Wirick told KCRA3.
Hunters who were also in the area but did not know the family spoke about the incident with the news outlet. Matt Jones told them, "When responders arrived, they had picked up where the son had left off and continued life-saving efforts continued that for some time."
Jones and his hunting buddy John Zendejas felt terribly about the incident, especially for the boy who would have to live with the outcome "for the rest of his life."
Yolo County detectives said that the pair both had hunting licenses. California requires all hunters to take a safety course to get their licenses, including learning how to handle a firearm and the logistics of being outdoors. Wirick confirmed that the father's death was ruled an accident, and they will not be pursuing any charges against the boy.
"The Yolo County Sheriff's Office expresses profound condolences to the grieving family and kindly requests that the community keep them in their thoughts and prayers, offering them the privacy they require during this challenging period," deputies said in a Facebook post.
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