A man on a deer hunt who was shot in the head on Monday afternoon in Sussex County died in the hospital in Richmond on Tuesday morning.
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said that 61-year-old Thomas Michael Harris of Disputanta was pronounced dead at 10:40 a.m. at VCU Medical Center.
According to WTVR, officials said Harris was shot on a 40-acre plot of land between Waverly and Wakefield that a hunt club uses to use dogs to scare deer out of the brush.
Investigators told WTVR that Harris was shot in the head during the dog run.
“A group of men conducting an organized hunt on the property were running deer with chasing dogs,” said Sgt. Tim Worrell. “Another hunter was shot.”
Game and Inland Fisheries said that 19 hunting accidents have been reported statewide since the beginning of hunting season in September.
In eight of those, hunters were shot accidentally.
Worrell told WTVR that is why precautions need to be taken. “Make sure you wear blaze orange: it’s the law,” Worrell said. “Communicate with other hunters and know where you are shooting prior to pulling the trigger.”
Police were back on the scene Tuesday locating a shot path and recreating the scene.
Officials said the incident is under investigation and charges, if and when, will be determined at a later date.
Hunting season ends Jan. 4.
