Stray police bullet kills boy fishing in Oklahoma

**celeb_2006** · August 6th, 2007, 05:29 PM

Stray bullet kills boy fishing in Okla. - Yahoo! News

A police officer shooting at a snake apparently killed a 5-year-old boy who was fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.
Austin Haley was fishing with his grandfather, Jack Tracy, when Tracy said he heard a shot and saw something hit the water just a few feet in front of the boat dock where he was standing.
Moments later, a second shot hit Austin in the head.
A Noble police officer who had responded to a report of a snake in a tree apparently fired the deadly shot while trying to kill the snake on Friday, City Manager Bob Wade said.
"I was told that they tried several ways to get the snake down, but it was still hissing at them and firmly lodged," Wade said. "What I was told is that the owner of the home either suggested or agreed that they should go ahead and shoot the snake, and then everything happened from there."
Tracy thought someone must be trying to kill him and his grandson, so he put the child on the back of a 4-wheeler and drove to his daughter's house about 200 yards away.
"Then two officers came out of the brush over there," he told The Oklahoman. "They didn't tell us they were the ones who had been shooting or that they had shot him. They didn't admit a doggone thing."
The boy was pronounced dead at an Oklahoma City hospital, about 25 miles north of Noble.
Wade refused to identify the officer but said the person had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
"This is so bizarre it has to be fully investigated," he said. "We're pretty sure circumstantially that it is the bullet from the police officer's gun, but it might be a bullet from someone else."
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said a state investigation was under way, though it appeared the fatal shot had been fired by the officer.
Tracy has little doubt. "I'm not saying the cop shot him on purpose," he said. "But let me tell you — if I had a kid and put him in this car and didn't put him in a car seat and he got killed on the way to town, they'd charge me with murder ... and what this cop did is a lot worse than that."

**sweet and sexy** · August 7th, 2007, 12:01 PM

Instead of the daughter's house 200 yards away, why didn't he drive to the hospital?

**Sweetie** · August 7th, 2007, 12:40 PM

Great shot, Barney Fife. Dumbass coppers.

Why shoot at a snake in a tree anyway? I don't think it's really harming anything as long as it's in a tree.

**LynnieD** · August 7th, 2007, 01:21 PM

Wow, what a freaky occurance. Sad..really sad. Kid was just having a good time, fishing w/his grandfather.

**sweetrebel** · August 7th, 2007, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Sweetie

Great shot, Barney Fife. Dumbass coppers.

Why shoot at a snake in a tree anyway? I don't think it's really harming anything as long as it's in a tree.

That was my thought too. Snakes, water and nature do go hand in hand. Most people who fish know that eventually you will run up on a snake.
I don't know if the officer should be charged with murder, but he should be held accountable. Anyone who handles a gun should show a little common sense...

**PaintTheTownRed** · August 7th, 2007, 02:04 PM

Poor kid. That dumbass cop should be fired. Firing his gun to kill a snake in a tree is so reckless.

**HotCityGirl** · August 7th, 2007, 02:18 PM

How could you mistake a little kid for a snake? You cant make a mistake like that. Who would shoot at the snake anyway? Just call animal control and take the damn snake down from the tree and bring it in. What a dumbass.

**sweetrebel** · August 7th, 2007, 02:52 PM

I am thinking it is possible that the bullet ricocheted. Or he was shooting in the direction the poor kid was fishing.

**AuGusT** · August 7th, 2007, 03:01 PM

boy was unlucky !!

**twitchy** · August 13th, 2007, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by sweet and sexy

Instead of the daughter's house 200 yards away, why didn't he drive to the hospital?

Going to the hospital on the four wheeler doesn't seem practical. Going to the house only 200 yards away and getting a street legal vehicle would be much better and faster.

I want to know why they didn't get an animal control officer with one of those nooses on the end of a pole to snare the snake and bring it down safely?

DitaPage* · August 13th, 2007, 12:52 PM

Man thats HORRIBLE!

**AliceInWonderland** · August 13th, 2007, 01:19 PM

this moron should be stripped of his badge and put to trial like anyone else stupid enough to have done this!

wtf kind of a moron shoots at a snake?! disgusting!

**Grimmlok** · August 13th, 2007, 01:45 PM

if the kid had his own gun he could have protected himself.

</sarcasm>

**Sweetie** · August 13th, 2007, 01:47 PM

^ Or at least killed a bear as a final wish, huh Grimm

**sweetrebel** · August 13th, 2007, 02:13 PM

I still can't get over someone calling the police for a snake...like I said, common sense tells you that if you are fishing you are bound to run into a snake eventually. If the snake wasn't in close vicinity to you-why call?