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A teenager who went on a hunting trip with friends in Alaska has died after his friend mistakenly shot him in the head at close range while attempting to hit a goose, according to reports.
The incident on Monday left 18-year-old Joseph George fatally wounded during a hunting excursion in southwest Alaska.
Gretchen Weiss-Brooks, a spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, told the Anchorage Daily News that George was goose hunting near the town of Nightmute at around 6:30 p.m. when he was shot as one of his friends fired as a goose flew by.
The victim was declared dead at the scene and an investigation is ongoing, but Weiss-Brooks said "no suspicious activity is suspected at this time."
A statement released by the Alaska State Troopers said: "On 4/26/21 at approximately 1920 hours, AST in Bethel was notified of a hunting accident in Nightmute in which 18-year-old Joseph George suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
"George was declared deceased on the scene and next of kin have been notified. Upon request, George's body is being sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office. Investigation is ongoing."
Alaska's marine and freshwater wetlands produce around 12 million ducks and over one million geese each year.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game states that approximately 8,800 waterfowl hunters in Alaska harvest some 70,000 ducks and 7,000 geese each hunting season.
Special permits are required for hunting certain species, for example swans, or in particular areas, for example the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge. Rules also require hunters to use nontoxic shots for hunting waterfowl, sandhill cranes, and snipe, and ban them from carrying lead shot while hunting migratory birds.
In December, an Ohio man accidentally shot and killed his son while deer hunting.
Bradley Smith, 63, and his son, 28-year-old Andrew Smith, had been hunting with a group of friends in Ohio's Delaware County when the shooting took place.
The father apparently shot his son after mistaking him for a deer at dusk, Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, said.
Whited said Andrew Smith had not been wearing any orange hunting clothing when the shooting took place in a wooded area just outside of the city. He was declared dead at the scene. No charges were filed against Bradley Smith.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife's hunting and trapping regulations, hunters are legally required to wear orange from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset when hunting any wild animal during the deer gun season.
