An 11-year-old boy was tragically shot to death after his stepfather mistook him for a deer during a hunting trip. Zachary Rock with his family in a wooded area of Clay Township, Michigan taking part in the annual Michigan Liberty Hunt. The event is aimed at young hunters and people with disabilities and its purpose is to give those newer to the sport important safety information so they’re better prepared for the upcoming season.
- The family was on Zachary’s grandfather’s property. Zachary, his stepdad, and his mom, Heather Varndell, were taking part in the Department of Natural Resources “Youth Deer Hunt” when the shooting occurred. After shooting a deer at around 7:40 p.m., the family headed into the woods at around 8 p.m. to find it. That’s when another shot was fired that hit Zachary.
- This could have been avoided. As Clay Township Police Chief Michael Koach said: “Like most of these, it could have been preventable. That is the shame of it.” He added that the family still had their weapons drawn when going into the woods after dark, and that they believed there was another deer, hence the stepfather shooting. “At this point, shots were fired. They thought they were shooting at a deer and one of the rounds hit the young man,” Koach added.
- Despite the best efforts to save him, Zachary didn’t survive his injuries. He was first rushed to McLaren Macomb Hospital before being transferred to Children’s Hospital in Detroit. Unfortunately, even the best efforts to save his life didn’t work and he sadly passed away. “It’s the only way you can put this is absolute tragedy,” Koach said. “No doubt about it.”
- Zachary’s mom was also shot. However, not by his stepfather. Instead, in scrambling to unload her weapon after Zachary was shot, she accidentally shot herself in the hand.
- Zachary’s stepfather was taken into custody. While authorities are still investigating, they do believe the tragic incident was accidental. However, given the stepfather’s criminal history, they still took him into custody for questioning. “What we are going off of right now, past criminal history that ties everything together, questions [that] there could be other violations,” Koach said, adding that the family failed to meet several safety guidelines including not wearing high visibility attire.
