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Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 19 minutes ago

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said Sunday.

Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed him with shotgun pellets on Saturday while the two were hunting at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

Armstrong said Whittington was mostly injured on his right side, with the pellets hitting his cheek, neck and chest, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Whittington was in stable condition Sunday, said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Christus Spohn Health System.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, Texas, and his wife at the hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Armstrong said she was watching from a car while Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of the vehicle to shot at a covey of quail late afternoon on Saturday.

Whittington shot a bird and went to look for it in the tall grass, while Cheney and the third hunter walked to another spot and found a second covey.

Whittington "came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn't signal them or indicate to them or announce himself," Armstrong told the Associated Press in an interview.

"The vice president didn't see him," she continued. "The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good."

The shooting was first reported by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

She said Whittington was bleeding but not very seriously injured, and Cheney was very apologetic.

"It broke the skin," she said. "It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that."

She said emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington, holding his face and cleaning up the blood.

"Fortunately, the vice president has got a lot of medical people around him and so they were right there and probably more cautious than we would have been," she said. "The vice president has got an ambulance on call, so the ambulance came."

Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year. She said Whittington is a regular, too, but she thought it was the first time the two men hunted together.

"This is something that happens from time to time. You now, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.

It's the leading story on ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, etc...

Wonder how long it will take before somebody mentions Halliburton? I know it has absolutely nothing to do with this story, but the press is unable to even say the name "Cheney" without saying something about that company. Perhaps they could do a special series on how the shotgun shells were made by an affiliated company of a contractor in Iraq who has their headquarters in the same country as Halliburton?

I love the comment from his friend...''This is something that happens from time to time. You now, I've been peppered pretty well myself,'' said Armstrong.

He didn't obey rule #4

4. Be sure of your target. Know
what it is, what is in line with it and
what is behind it.

Terrible accident...I hope that the fellow gets all of the lead out!

Its hardly "unheard of" especially while quail hunting.

I've been "accidentally" shot myself. My own brother was the shooter. Yeah, its not much fun being the "shootee"...but it happens.

Also, a few people (not me)...would want to know: Whats so wrong with shooting lawyers?


(kidding).

How'd you like the photo they chose for the article? Like Cheney accepting a flintlock Kentucky rifle from the NRA has anything to do with hunting quail...

Kevin

To: National Desk

Contact: Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 202-289-5792

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney's reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas.

"Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady. "I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot."

"I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous."

Notice that the "shootee" and Armstrong both have already said that he walked into the line of fire.

Yes, Cheney should have been sure of his target, but swinging on a Quail and finding someone where you didn't expect them to be when you pull the trigger is just an accident, not ALL carelessness.

jimlongley wrote:Notice that the "shootee" and Armstrong both have already said that he walked into the line of fire.

Yes, Cheney should have been sure of his target, but swinging on a Quail and finding someone where you didn't expect them to be when you pull the trigger is just an accident, not ALL carelessness.

Nothing like stepping in the middle of a covey of quail to get the adrenaline pumping. I've taken my son quail hunting and I warn him like every three seconds to make note of where i am

I've never been peppered at close ranges, but i've been rained on a few times dove and duck hunting.

Cheney is going to catch all kinds of hell on the late night talk shows but deserves it. I'm really glad the fellow he shot is OK.

This will probably give Jay Leno verbal ammo for at least 6 weeks ...

Oh well..... at least if you shoot a lawyer, be glad he's a friend !

I questioned initially if the "recipient" of the pellets was wearing hunter orange, but saw in an article this morning that all 3 hunters WERE wearing bright orange vests ...

Greybeard wrote:I questioned initially if the "recipient" of the pellets was wearing hunter orange, but saw in an article this morning that all 3 hunters WERE wearing bright orange vests ...

May be wise, but not required for Quail hunting.

I saw a ridiculous news briefing (Q&A) today where the media asked some of the dumbest questions I’ve heard yet. some examples:

1. Will Dick Cheney tender his resignation because of this shooting?
2. Is this a criminal offence in Texas and will he be arrested?
3. And my personal favorite, while berating the press secretary about why the news was delayed until the next morning. “If he had killed the person, would it have been more serious?�

Local radio station reported that Whittington was hit with "buckshot". I wish these people would do just a tiny bit of research before reporting on a subject they know so little about.


Buckshot! Gimme a break.

I'm no friend of Darth Cheney, but I have to admit that some members of the press attacked this like sharks attack chum.

Yeah, Cheney had an accident. He's probably in the wrong. This is nothing that affects his vice-presidency, so I really don't care all that much about it. Heck, even if he lied about Whittington being in the wrong (walking in front of him, which i'm already hearing) that's a matter between him and Whittington, and possibly the local police.

This should be a story in the "isn't it funny" section of the paper, not the front page.

The way the press is hemming and hawing, you'd think we'd need a special prosecutor to look into the incident.
That's Male Bovine Excrement.

There are PLENTY of other, legitimate things for a special prosecutor to look into...