New Bern Sun Journal
December 30, 2004
Roselee Papandrea
Freedom ENC
An Onslow County man was hit in the chest with a shotgun pellet Tuesday
afternoon in an apparent hunting accident, Sheriff Ed Brown said.
Larry Batchelor, 35, of the Nine Mile Road area, was hunting with a group
of people in the Five Mile Road area at about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Brown said
in a written release.
"Someone shot at a deer, and a stray pellet struck Larry Batchelor," said
Col. Mark Shivers of the Sheriff's Department.
Batchelor was treated on the scene by Onslow County Emergency Medical
Services and then airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. He was
in stable condition, Shivers said.
"Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and determined that the
shooting appeared to be accidental," Brown said.
Earlier in December, Nancy Jarman Davis, 51, of Nine Mile Road, died from
a gunshot wound to the head. The incident was first reported to law
enforcement as a hunting accident.
That incident is still being investigated by the State Bureau of
Investigation.
"There are no charges yet," said David Allen, special agent in charge of
the SBI in Jacksonville. "We still have more interviews to do, and we are
waiting on some evidence from the state."
Brown asked the SBI to assist with the investigation because there are
some Sheriff's Department employees who are connected to the victim and
victim's family, Allen said.
Roselee Papandrea can be reached at
rpapandrea@freedomenc.com
or by calling 353-1171, ext. 238.
