28-Year-Old Man Accidentally Shot And Killed By Father While Deer Hunting For Not Wearing Orange Gear

A 28-year-old man from Columbus was shot and killed by his father after he was mistaken for a deer. The victim was identified as Andrew Smith from Columbus who was not wearing the proper orange hunting gear at the time.

The shooter was identified as Bradley Smith, 63. Both were deer hunting with a group of friends south of the city of Delaware when the shooting took place last Dec. 2, the Columbus Dispatch reported. All were experienced hunters. The incident happened around 5:45 p.m. Andrew Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.

The group had met there for more than 20 years to hunt the white-tailed deer during the state's annual deer gun-hunting week. The event ended last Sunday. Bradley Smith will not be charged for the accidental shooting of his son.

"It's just the worst kind of tragedy," Tracy Whited, spokeswoman for the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, said. "He thought he was shooting at a deer. It was his son."

It was an unfortunate incident for the father and son tandem. Both were into hunting when Andrew was still 7-years-old. The younger Smith is originally from Elyria but had been living in Columbus.

Per the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife’s hunting and trapping regulations, hunters are legally required to wear orange during the deer-gun season while hunting from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The sunset that day was just after 5 p.m.

Roughly 310,000 hunters took part in the week-long deer-gun season in Ohio. About 71,650 white-tailed deers were harvested this season, News Week reported.

"Fewer people take a deer with a gun today when compared to the hunting seasons from the 1970s and 1980s," Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker said. "Regardless of harvest rates, surveys show Ohio's deer hunters still participate during this week, whether they serve as mentors or accompany friends."