“A 9-year-old girl was accidentally shot in the shoulder Saturday night by a family member who thought she was an animal outside a New Sewickley Township (Pennsylvania) home, police said.” She was apparently mistaken for a four foot tall, 75-pound skunk. They must have some big polecats in the Keystone State, no? Seems the girl was dressed as…something…for a Halloween party. “(Police Chief Ronald) Leindecker said an unidentified male relative mistook the girl, who was wearing a black costume and a black hat with white tassel, for a skunk and shot her in the shoulder with a shotgun.” According to reports, she was standing just over the crest of a hill and all he saw was her head. Was that hard cider they were serving at the party, maybe? Fortunately she’ll be fine, but rule four, folks. Rule four.
too stupid for words.
Is it a common practice to shoot skunks if you live in the country? I would think better to let it be than have a stinking skunk carcass in your backyard, where you dog can roll in it…maybe its just me.
Yeah its common. Responsible too. Skunk body temps are a PERFECT environment for the rabies virus to live in, and the virus will actually survive in the spray. I don’t know about other states, but on more than one occasion in WV whole herds of cattle have contracted the virus because of spray from an infected skunk. It’s not something I ever want to deal with.
Why would you shoot a skunk in the first place? In graduate school I used to walk home around 2 am each night and pass by a bunch of the things sniffing for insects in yards all down the street. Even if the blind little bastards saw you, their reaction was more embarrassment and ambling away than anything offensive.
Is this a delicacy I’m not aware of?
We had problems with one skunk. My dad had the skunk tranquilized and moved across the county. Seriously people positive identification is not that difficult.
I thought that skunks were the world’s dumbest mammals.
I was wrong.
Who goes to Halloween these days dressed as a skunk?
I do agree that the “shoot first, check later” mentality gets far too many gun owners in trouble. Check yer targets, people!
“Leindecker said he was not sure if charges will be filed. He added that the man had not been drinking”
“police Chief Ronald Leindecker says the woman told officers she was hosting a Halloween party when she heard there was a skunk nearby and asked her son to shoot it.
The Beaver County Times reports the chief says 24-year-old shooter”
— Based on the limited information that I have read here and elsewhere, I hope the irresponsible and trigger happy shooter loses his right to own a firearm. The mother should at least lose her right to hold parties and flashlights.
Oh yeah, prosecute him.