9-year-old killed hunting accident saves three lives through organ donation.
Tragedy struck a Williston, South Carolina family recently as a 9-year-old boy was killed in a Thanksgiving hunting accident while pursuing rabbits.
There aren't a lot of details on what happened other than the Kelly Edwards Elementary School fourth-grader was rabbit hunting with his dad and a family friend in Orangeburg County. The hunting trip took a horrific turn when the father accidentally shot his own son according to Q13 Fox.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources was first to confirm the incident Thanksgiving morning. No charges have been filed in the case. Colton's grandfather, Vince Furtick told 12 WRDW he doesn't blame Colton's father in the death of their only grandson.
"We don't blame him and never have blamed him for one moment because we know how much he loved his son," Furtick told the news station.
Furtick further told reporters the one thing that is getting family members through the incident right now is the fact that Colton's organs were donated to three other children, two in South Carolina and another in Virginia.
"We're crying tears because we miss our grandson, and those families are crying tears because their child is saved. And that's an amazing thing," Furtick told WRDW 12 News.
Q13 Fox reports Colton was a big fan of the Clemson Tigers and an honor roll student. In his spare time, he took piano lessons and played football for the Williston Blue Devils Junior Rec league. But most of all, he loved to hunt and fish. He had previously won a marksmanship award at camp.
Williston School District had counselors on hand at school Monday this past week to help grieving students. A GoFundMe was also setup to cover funeral expenses. It started with a goal of $10,500 but is sitting at $17,280 from 351 donors as of the time of this writing.
Colton's family plans to donate the extra money to South Carolina's Take One, Make One Foundation. This organization works to bring hunting and fishing opportunities to underprivileged children in the state. You can also make a direct donation to Take One, Make One in Colton's memory through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website at this link.
All of us at Wide Open Spaces wish to express our condolences to Colton Williams' family during this extremely difficult time.
NEXT: SAFETY FIRST: 3 SAFE HUNTING PRACTICES
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