Whenever deadly weapons are involved, accidents can end in someone’s death, which was unfortunately the case for 17-year-old Carson Ryan of Iowa City. The teenage boy was reportedly shot in the back of the head by someone in his own hunting group. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources news release claims that it was because he “was mistaken for a squirrel by a member of his hunting party.” This happened during the day as well, on a 3 pm afternoon during the weekend.
Many are doubting that this young Iowan’s death was by any means ‘accidental.’ “Shot in the back of the head…Sounds like they’re going to have to do a pretty serious investigation,” remarks a Reddit user. “That story is a lie. This was murder,” adds another. “How stupid does a gun owner need to be to mistake a human being for a squirrel ffs,” exclaims a third. “My shortcut for telling the difference between a squirrel and a person is the tail,” jokes a fourth. Thousands of users also agreed: How in the world could someone mistake a full-grown teenage boy for a tiny squirrel?
Some commenters chimed in with the experiences of someone they know, such as one user claiming their dad was shot multiple times by teens out hunting. They concluded by comparing hunting to a motorcycle, pointing out that no matter how well someone rides, other drivers can still make a mistake, resulting in serious injury or death. Still, many believe that it’s very unlikely the Iowa 17-year-old was killed by accident, as he was shot in the back of the head, with the claim that he could have been a tiny wild rodent, aka a squirrel.
Fortunately, the official government report says that “The incident is currently under investigation,” so hopefully, the authorities get to the bottom of the questionable hunting accident. Hundreds are also showing their support by donating to Ryan’s family on GoFundMe, with over $55,000 of the $70,000 goal having been achieved.
