It occurred on the first day of deer hunting season.
Sabillasville, Md (KM) A fatal hunting accident in Frederick County over the weekend remains under investigation.
Maryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson says Vincent Cavallo, 32, of Altadena, California, was hunting with his uncle in an area off of the 6600 block of Eylers Valley Flint Road on Saturday morning when he was shot in the head.
She says the two separated to hunt on their own. Cavallo’s uncle heard a gunshot, and thought that his nephew had bagged a deer. Shortly afterward, he found Cavallo dead from a gunshot wound. “It appears that at this point, the victim slipped and fell, or dropped the gun and the gun, a rifle, discharged, and shot hit him in the head, killing him,” says Thomson.
Cavallo’s body was taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
“This is just one of those unfortunate cases where the victim was brand new to deer hunting. He had just gotten his hunter safety card,” says Thomson. “And it appears that he did not have the safety on his rifle.”
She says hunting accidents like this are rare. “Hunting accidents in Maryland consist either of hunters falling from their tree stands because they’re not wearing a safety harness, or there are hunters who accidentally injure themselves either with an arrow or with gunshot,” says Thomson.
This tragic accident in Frederick County on Saturday occurred on the first day of the firearm deer hunting season.
Thomson says it’s important for all hunters to be safe when they’re in the woods. She says that includes taking an annual safety refresher course. “You may have been hunting for years but it’s always good to go over your own safety plan, but also the rules of the road,” Thomson says.
In addition, “you should always make sure that you know what you’re shooting at, and what is behind what you are shooting at,” says Thomson. “Always, always, always wear that hunter orange when you’re deer hunting.”
Natural Resources Police say they were assisted by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office in collecting evidence from the scene of the accident.
By Kevin McManus