Hunter fatally shoots hiker he mistook for wild boar
A hunter in France shot and killed a hiker whom he had mistaken for a wild boar, according to a report.
The hiker, Jean-Louis Blanc, 59, was walking near the village of Taulignan, in the Drome department, around 3:30 p.m. Saturday when he was blasted in the groin, The Daily Mail reported.
Paramedics responded, but authorities believe Blanc died immediately after being shot.
The 64-year-old hunter, who was not identified, was arrested on manslaughter charges, according to the report.
A source close to the incident told the outlet that the hunter had feared that a boar was closing in on him.
“The hunter… was sure a boar was coming towards him through the undergrowth after his dog started barking,” the source said.
“He pulled the trigger, and the result was this terrible accident. The hunter is now in custody.”
In a similar incident in upstate New York last month, a woman out walking her dogs was fatally shot by a hunter — who mistook her for a deer while illegally hunting after sunset, police said.
The hunter, 34-year-old Thomas Jadlowski, faces second-degree manslaughter charges. He is due back in court late next month.
Wild boar hunting was in the news earlier this month when a hog turned the tables on a hunter in Germany and killed him first.