Hunter Fatally Shoots Woman He Mistook For A Deer On Thanksgiving Eve

A woman in western New York state has died in a tragic accident in which a hunter fired at her, thinking she was a deer.

A woman in western New York state has died in a tragic accident in which a hunter fired at her, thinking she was a deer.

Rosemary Billquist, 43, was taking her two dogs for a walk near her home Wednesday in the town of Sherman when she was shot once from about 200 yards away, The New York Post reports.

The hunter, neighbor Thomas Jadlowski, rushed over to Billquist when he heard her scream, according to police. He called 911 and applied pressure to her wound while waiting for emergency responders to arrive. Billquist was transported to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries.

“They tried saving her,” her husband, Jamie Billquist, told The Buffalo News. “It was just too bad. ... It’s horrific. It will be with me the rest of my life.”

Billquist said his wife, who was shot in the hip, was only 100 yards away from their house when the incident occurred.

He posted a tribute to her Thursday on Facebook.

“I know she’s touched so many lives with her kindness,” he wrote, urging others to savor Thanksgiving with their families and “enjoy those moments” because “they are precious.”

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said that Jadlowski reported the shooting 40 minutes after sunset and noted that it’s against state law to hunt deer after the sun has gone down, according to the Buffalo News. So far, no charges have been filed, although law enforcement was still investigating the incident.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.