On Monday, May 16, authorities in Garfield County Colorado released
the autopsy results for Jeffrey Garrett, a 37 year old executive
at Denver-based Qwest communications. Saying that his gunshot wound
did
not appear to
be self-inflicted, the local authorities are investigating the case
as a "suspicious death."
Garrett had been turkey hunting the previous Saturday with two
friends, and split up with plans to rendezvous later that morning.
When he failed
to return, a search and rescue team was summoned; his body
was found that afternoon.
Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario was quoted by The
Denver Channel as saying:
"[...] someone could've shot Garrett unintentionally while
hunting, or a bullet fired toward the sky came down and hit Garrett.
He
said it could be that Garrett was calling turkeys and someone unintentionally
shot in his direction."
"His friends are not considered suspects in the case, because
the bullet that killed Garrett apparently came from a different
kind
of gun than the ones his friends carried."
In cases like this one, it would be of assistance to the investigators
to know who was in the area in question and what weapons were being
used -- C.A.S.H. would like to see the practice of hunters signing
in their hunting location and type of weapon and ammunition (or arrows)
ahead of time, much like airline pilots file flight plans before
taking off.
This information could be of much broader use than just the
occasional, though numerous, hunting accidents -- it could also be used to warn
other citizens who live or recreate in those areas, so they could
steer clear of the line of fire. It might even improve hunter safety
as well, by indicating to hunters how many other hunters are shooting
in the vicinity. Such a system could go a long way towards reducing
the number of largely-unsolved cases of stray bullets
hitting bystanders, houses, and property.
C.A.S.H. regrets all the suffering and loss of life due to sport
hunting, both human and animal. We aim to help minimize the needless
loss of life across this country.
This story was written based on reporting by TheDenverChannel,
with contributions from the Associated Press.
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material
whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe
that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes
a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section
107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted
material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must
obtain permission from the copyright owner.
