The hunting season in the state of South Carolina ended with a tragedy, as 30-year-old Kim Drawdy and his 9-year-old daughter, Lauren Drawdy, were shot to death by hunters, who mistook them for part of the game.
4 men were after a deer around 2.30 in the afternoon on Wednesday when they reportedly saw movement stirring the leaves of the trees and the bushes nearby and thought that it might be another animal.
However, after they realized their mistake, the hunters quickly contacted the Colleton Country Sheriff’s Office to get help.
Unfortunately, both father and daughter were fatally wounded, and they eventually passed away.
Currently, it remains unknown if the two victims were equipped according to regulations, with blaze orange safety gear, as the investigators from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources chose to withhold this information for the time being.
For now, it is also unclear if anyone is going to be blamed for the tragic accident and if the police is going to make arrests.
Following the death of Drawdy and his daughter, some members of their family were quick to launch a fundraiser on social media, so they could cover the needed money for the funerals.
The fundraiser page read: “Kim Drawdy and his daughter Lauren where both tragically killed in a hunting accident on New Year’s Day,’ the page states. We are trying to raise money to help with funeral costs for both of these precious souls. Anything helps, and all prayers are appreciated.”
A representative from the investigating department, David Lucas, stated it was quite ordinary for hunting seasons to end with a couple of accidents and that happened every year, but fatal cases did not occur so often.
Lucas also claimed that during the last year, there were around 16 accidents that were related to hunting, and guns were not involved in only 5 of those. Those accidents resulted in two deaths.
The official explained: “It’s not a thing that happens a lot. Hunting accidents are rare in general, and fatalities even more so.”
The dad and his child were big hunting fans, and Dawdy’s Facebook profile contained the following note: “Hunting isn’t just what I do it’s part of who I am.”
People on social media say the other hunters were very irresponsible, although a few commenters say there might be more to the whole story.
A community is heartbroken, and autopsies are set for Sunday.
