DEC: Man shoots self while poaching in Washington Co.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Three Vermont residents have been charged for their alleged roles in a shooting incident in Washington County in November, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Police Division. This comes after both Vermont and New York enforcement officials launched investigations into the situation.
The trio drove through the town of Salem on Nov. 30 looking for a deer to shoot, officials said. Once the group spotted a buck, the driver allegedly tried to shoot the animal from inside the vehicle.
However, when a truck pulled up behind the car, the driver allegedly pulled the gun back. The rifle discharged inside the vehicle, said police, sending the bullet through the driver’s hand and out the car door. The driver had to spend five days at Albany Medical Center to recover from his injuries.
After the incident, the three reportedly drove back to Vermont and made a report, claiming it had happened there. The shooter later admitted that the incident happened in New York, officials said, and Vermont law enforcement turned over the information to New York’s Environmental Conservation Police.
Environmental Conservation Officers reportedly interviewed the three suspects and, on Dec. 15, arrested the shooter, a convicted felon, on the following charges:
- Criminal possession of a weapon
- Hunting without a license
- Possession of a loaded gun in a motor vehicle
- Discharging a firearm over a highway
- Discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a farm structure
The other two subjects received a total of seven tickets for charges related to the shooting, said police.