MO: 16-year-old killed while hunting

Accidental shooting death a ‘terrible tragedy’

04-25-2011

Aaron J. Meyer, a 16-year-old Orrick High School sophomore, died Saturday while hunting for turkeys northwest of Orrick.

Meyer, the victim of a shotgun blast to the head, was already dead when authorities located his body at around 5:45 p.m. Ray County Coroner Jim Garrison said there was no foul play or evidence that the death was a suicide, and described the loss as “a terrible tragedy.”

“The boy went hunting by himself Saturday morning, and when he didn’t return by early afternoon, his family and friends became concerned,” Garrison said. “There are two lines of thought. He may have stumbled and fell, or he may have mishandled the firearm. Whether he mishandled it or slipped and fell, we’ll never know.”

Garrison said the shooting appeared to have happened Saturday morning, but the official time of death will be recorded as 5:45, the time the teen was found.

Ray County 911 Director Scott Enss said the dispatch desk received its first call concerning Meyer at around 4:15 pm. Ray County Sheriff’s Department and Orrick Fire Protection District located Meyer’s body in the vicinity of Blaine Hill Road, which intersects Highway O north of Orrick.

Garrison said he was told that an area resident with a tracking dog assisted in the search. It’s believed that the teen had been hunting on a friend’s farm.

Garrison said that Meyer had decoys deployed and appeared to be preparing to shoot at a turkey immediately the accident.

Aaron Meyer has a twin brother, also a student at Orrick. His parents are Leo “Big Aaron” and Pamela Meyer. Funeral services are pending at Gowing Funeral Home in Orrick. 

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