Tragic in Many Ways

[archer36]

Ala. Teacher Who Fatally Shot Boy, 11, While Hunting Has Charges Upgraded to Capital Murder (msn.com)

www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ala-teacher-who-fatally-shot-boy-11-while-hunting-has-charges-upgraded-to-capital-murder/ar-BB1c9aIY?ocid=msedgntp

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by archer36

[Bones]

Not familiar with the incident did he purposely shoot the boy? Wondering why murder you need intent for murder.

[archer36]

1 hour ago, Bones said:

Not familiar with the incident did he purposely shoot the boy? Wondering why murder you need intent for murder.

Sorry but for some reason I am not able to copy and paste. You can do it into your browser and read the whole story. 

[Bonefreak]

Happened May 1st during a turkey hunt....charges were recently upgraded. 

Sad incident. 

[Nighthawk]

After reading a few articles, the family is claiming he had taken pain meds the night before and the morning of the incident.  That’s what was filed in the family’s lawsuit.  It’s a reach if you ask me no matter if he was under the influence or not. You don’t see people who are driving while intoxicated charged with capital murder so I am perplexed why it fits in this case.  Does not seem like he had intent to murder the young man, it was just a tragic accident.  

[mazzgolf]

https://people.com/crime/alabama-boy-fatally-shot-middle-school-teacher-charged/

Quote

 

Police allege that Burks "shot and killed" Trussville boy Troy Ellis.

The shot also injured the boy's father, Obed Ellis, who is a football coach at Mortimer Jordan High School in Kimberly, AL.com reports.

The three set out on the turkey hunt Friday morning, heading into the woods of Clay at daylight.

 

The guy shot, not one, but TWO people - both the boy and his father, killing the boy. .... During a turkey hunt.

Let me paraphrase what I heard someone else here say: "I have turkey hunted a lot, I have seen a lot of turkeys, and have shot a lot of turkeys. I can honestly say that not a single one of them looked anything close to a human."

How a guy can shoot TWO PEOPLE during a turkey hunt is incomprehensible to me.

"I thought I was shooting at a turkey but it was two people instead" - BUT THEY LOOK NOTHING ALIKE!

[njdoxie]

18 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

https://people.com/crime/alabama-boy-fatally-shot-middle-school-teacher-charged/

The guy shot, not one, but TWO people - both the boy and his father, killing the boy. .... During a turkey hunt.

Let me paraphrase what I heard someone else here say: "I have turkey hunted a lot, I have seen a lot of turkeys, and have shot a lot of turkeys. I can honestly say that not a single one of them looked anything close to a human."

How a guy can shoot TWO PEOPLE during a turkey hunt is incomprehensible to me.

"I thought I was shooting at a turkey but it was two people instead" - BUT THEY LOOK NOTHING ALIKE!

Weird things can happen, they could've been just on the other side of thicket, well hidden, but a little bit of movement showing.  I'm not excusing it, just explaining it.

If you have 500K people turkey hunting, somewhere, somehow, a mistake will be made....human nature.

Once, I saw a small buck enter a 20x20 thicket, so I got my gun up waiting for him to exit, I noticed some movement just behind the thicket, only to see a gun hunter with no orange on walking thru the woods.  Scared the heck out of me.  I killed the deer about 20 minutes later as he stepped out of the thicket.  So yeah, I see how things can happen.

Edited December 22, 2020 by njdoxie

[SoxFan]

Sad

[bushden]

13 hours ago, njdoxie said:

Weird things can happen, they could've been just on the other side of thicket, well hidden, but a little bit of movement showing.  I'm not excusing it, just explaining it.

If you have 500K people turkey hunting, somewhere, somehow, a mistake will be made....human nature.

Once, I saw a small buck enter a 20x20 thicket, so I got my gun up waiting for him to exit, I noticed some movement just behind the thicket, only to see a gun hunter with no orange on walking thru the woods.  Scared the heck out of me.  I killed the deer about 20 minutes later as he stepped out of the thicket.  So yeah, I see how things can happen.

I totally disagree with WEIRD THINGS CAN HAPPEN!! If you are sure of your target and the area around it WEIRD THINGS WONT HAPPEN! There is no excuse for these accidents they are preventable if you are calm and follow all the safety rules. Be sure of your target and the area beyond!!  WEIRD THINGS DONT HAPPEN, STUPID THINGS HAPPEN WHEN HUNTERS DO NOT FOLLOW BASIC SAFETY RULES.

Edited December 23, 2020 by bushden
Added texr

[bushden]

14 hours ago, mazzgolf said:

https://people.com/crime/alabama-boy-fatally-shot-middle-school-teacher-charged/

The guy shot, not one, but TWO people - both the boy and his father, killing the boy. .... During a turkey hunt.

Let me paraphrase what I heard someone else here say: "I have turkey hunted a lot, I have seen a lot of turkeys, and have shot a lot of turkeys. I can honestly say that not a single one of them looked anything close to a human."

How a guy can shoot TWO PEOPLE during a turkey hunt is incomprehensible to me.

"I thought I was shooting at a turkey but it was two people instead" - BUT THEY LOOK NOTHING ALIKE!

YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT, I can not believe some of the STUPID responses here like weird things can happen, these are the hunters that make us all look like the wild west. WTF   SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY Be certain of your target and beyond.

[nmc02]

Seems that some information is missing....

[njdoxie]

8 hours ago, bushden said:

YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT, I can not believe some of the STUPID responses here like weird things can happen, these are the hunters that make us all look like the wild west. WTF   SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY Be certain of your target and beyond.

I'm not excusing what he did, he deserves what he has coming.

But I live in the real world where all humans are flawed and thus prone to mistakes.  It's the reason fatal car accidents are common, it's why commercial airliners crash and burn killing hundreds in spite of ridiculous safety efforts.

If everyone was perfect and mistake free like you, I agree the world would be a better place free of fatal accidents of every kind.

[CatchinDeers243]

Terrible on so many levels 

[deadonshot2]

1 hour ago, njdoxie said:

I'm not excusing what he did, he deserves what he has coming.

But I live in the real world where all humans are flawed and thus prone to mistakes.  It's the reason fatal car accidents are common, it's why commercial airliners crash and burn killing hundreds in spite of ridiculous safety efforts.

If everyone was perfect and mistake free like you, I agree the world would be a better place free of fatal accidents of every kind.

I do not think anybody expects another hunter to be perfect. I would expect them to be perfectly responsible though. Before you squeeze that trigger you better know EXACTLY what the target is- not what they think it is they are shooting at.  And then you better know what is beyond that target. If you can't accept that responsibility before entering the woods then you should not be there in the first place. I do not hunt pheasants anymore just because there are too many that just think killing a stocked chicken is more important then someone else's safety. 

So I do not see someone sitting there calling turkeys and shooting two people as a flawed person. I see them as someone that should not be there in the first place. The flaw they have is they have no regard for human life. Shooting is not accidental. 

[nickmarch]

Did the article change or get updated?  When I read it nothing was specifically said about the shooting.  The article didnt say he thought the people were turkeys.  It said the shooter is a amputee veteran who was taken hunting as part of some program for vets.  He could have tripped or stumbled or something?  Who knows the article didnt say.  Being that he was new to hunting the people who took him hunting should have given  the Vet some safety instructions.

Now this shooter is a total idiot...