Another deer hunter was shot in Louisiana, and this time it was fatal, state says

For the second time in six days, a hunter was shot by a fellow hunter in Louisiana, only this time it was fatal, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reports.

It happened around 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, in the 4.655-acre Sandy Hollow Wildlife Management Area, about an 80-mile drive northeast from Baton Rouge.

The victim has been identified as 61-year-old Roberto Garcia of Baton Rouge, state officials said in a Dec. 30 news release.

“Agents responded to the scene and learned that Garcia was hit by a .45 caliber muzzleloader and died before any first responders could arrive,” officials said.

“According to the shooter, he was shooting at a deer and didn’t know that Garcia was behind the deer due to vegetation.”

Muzzleloaders are rifles and pistols “that are loaded through the muzzle of the barrel,” according to Hunter-ed.com. They are considered “quieter and less expensive than modern firearms,” experts say.

An investigation into Garcia’s death is ongoing and his body has been turned over to the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner’s Office, the state said.

The shooting happened five days after a deer hunter was wounded on private land in the Zachary area, about a 15-mile drive north from Baton Rouge.

In that case, a hunter fired his 20-gauge shotgun at what he thought was a deer, but it turned out to be another hunter, state investigators said. The victim was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

The shooter was charged with hunting without a deer tag and not wearing hunter’s orange safety clothing, officials said.

This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 4:56 AM with the headline "Another deer hunter was shot in Louisiana, and this time it was fatal, state says."