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Child Shoots, Kills Relative Out Hunting Deer: Coroner

The first day of deer hunting season in Pennsylvania was off to a tragic start.

William Tripp

William Tripp

Photo Credit: Facebook (Nancy Scaife Kuftic)

William Tripp, 71, of Elizabethtown, was shot in the head by a juvenile relative on Saturday, reports WJAC citing the Cambria County coroner Jeff Lees.

Tripp was hunting with a group of family and friends along a gas line off Buckhorn Road in Jackson Township when he was killed around 10 a.m., the coroner told the outlet.

The child who shot Tripp was aiming at a deer but missed-- striking Tripp who was approximately 300 yards away, according to WTAJ citing Lees.

“This is a heart-wrenching, unfortunate accident that has happened,” Lees told both outlets.

The autopsy on Sunday confirmed the manner of death was accidental, WTAJ reports citing the coroner.

Jackson Township Fire Department and EMS, and a Disaster Assistance Response Team medic from Conemaugh Health System, assisted Lees at the scene, the coroner told the media.

Funeral and memorial services details have not been released, but Tripp's friends are sharing their loss on social media.

"I was shocked to learn that one of my dear HS classmates died tragically in a hunting accident on Saturday, the first day of deer season," RIP William Tripp," said Nancy Scaife Kuftic.

State police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are continuing to investigate the shooting, according to WJAC.

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