A pair of buddies were hunting in an Arizona campground when an accident with a firearm turned deadly.
On July 26th, Jack Creed, a 22-year-old from Peoria, was shot in the abdomen with a .22 caliber firearm. Creed was fired upon by a longtime friend, who believed his firearm was empty, after pulling the charging handle back several times. The shooter has yet to be identified, but their relationship has caught the public's attention. Not only were the pair friends, but the shooter was actually set to be married soon. His best man was going to be Creed.
According to the NY Post, the accident took place at United Christian Youth Camp in Prescott, Arizona. The pair were in a secluded area of the campground, and the shooting took place around 10:30 at night. According to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, the pair had been "hunting skunks" together, which eventually led to the tragedy. Authorities reported that the shooter showed no signs of impairment or alcohol usage on the scene. As is the nature of such an accident, the case is still under investigation.
Skunk Hunting in an Arizona Campground Turns Deadly After Firearm Accident
After being shot in the abdomen, Creed was initially taken to a nearby hospital, where he was stabilized. It was during a post-op flight to a Phoenix hospital that Creed began to decline. Complications arose during the flight that eventually led to the victim's tragic passing, hours after being shot.
The accident is a reminder of the precautions that must be taken when handling a firearm, in any capacity. Be it hunting or target shooting, any time spent with a firearm should be focused and intentful. Creed's passing is reminiscent of another firearm accident that caught the media by storm. In October 2021, actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while on set of what was going to the movie "Rust." The incident made waves of headlines and resulted in plenty of discourse around firearm safety.
While Creed's death has not made nearly as much news, it is of course, no less tragic.
