Amish Girl in Horse Drawn Carriage Shot by Muzzleloader From 1 Mile Away?

[Southron Sr.]

The Drudge Report has a news story saying that an Amish Girl was accidentally shot and killed near Fredericksburg, Ohio by someone "Cleaning" a muzzleloader. Supposedly a man fired a shot from his rifle into the air and the bullet flew approximately 1 mile and struck the girl in the head.

The tragedy is being treated as an unfortunate accident by law enforcement officials. I am heartbroken this has happened but question the reported range the shot was fired from. Regardless, this is a terrible tragedy and should remind everyone to Never, Never fire a bullet into the air where you are not sure it will strike.

[Dominic Infante, 8359V]

I live less than an hour from where this terrible event occurred and have been following the details closely.The recent reports of this tragety are that the distance was 1 1/2 miles. So, he must have really elevated the muzzle to get the bullet out such a distance. No information has been given on the type of gun, load, bullet, or other details. At a minimum I believe the shooter should be charged with reckless endangerment. Too bad he did not dump the load into a reliable backstop, like a pile of sand, a bank of earth, or if no other choice, into some soft ground at around a 45 degree angle.

[Maillemaker]

It's very sad. Of all the people it could land on and kill. Why could it not have it some gang-banger somewhere?

Steve

[RSiegel]

Dom,

I've followed the story here in Maine and things just don't seem to to make sense. Have the police released information on the tragectory of the bullet based on the head wound? Years ago, people shooting the 1000 yard black powder matches worried about using the 40/65 black powder cartridge. While the 400 grain bullet has a very good ballistic shape, the bullets were falling into the target pits at over a 45 degree angle, endangering the target poster in the pits. That's no where near a mile or even 1 1/2 miles and the cartridge gun has a much better ballistic rating then a muzzle loader, even using a sabot round. Things just don't add up.

Rich Siegel

[Chris Sweeney]

Nowadays it is no longer safe to assume that "muzzleloader" has anything in common with what we shoot. When you have a modern muzzleloader that shoots a saboted 40 Cal bullet behind 150 or more grains of powder, the ballistics are a lot different from what we are used to. Then again, negligence is negligence no matter what the range.

[Southron Sr.]

A simple autopsy should be able to determine what caliber and what type of round that struck and killed the girl.

That should clear the owner of the muzzleloader IF his round didn't kill the girl. There have been cases here in Georgia where rounds, fired by modern bolt action rifles and fired by deer hunters in the woods have struck vehicles traveling on rural highways or hit homes in rural areas.

What I am saying is that until the bullet that killed that unfortunate girl is recovered and identified, we won't know for sure what type of bullet killed her.

I am still praying for that girl and her family.