WV: Guilty Plea In Shooting Of Hunter

July 24, 2010

Guilty Plea In Shooting Of Hunter

A Colliers man was sentenced to community service Tuesday for accidentally shooting another man while hunting in May.

David Eugene Nale, 67, pleaded guilty to negligent shooting before Brooke County Magistrate Michael Allman. Following the plea, Allman sentenced Nale to 20 days in jail, then suspended the sentence in lieu of 160 hours of community service. According to the criminal complaint filed in magistrate court, Nale was turkey hunting at about 8 a.m. May 15 when the incident occurred.

The shooting took place on the grounds of the Colliers Sportsman Club off Putney Ridge Road.

The document alleges Nale "did carelessly and negligently shoot" 35-year-old John McKinney of Follansbee, "causing serious bodily injury."

Nale told investigators he saw movement in the brush in front of him and fired a shot from his scoped, .17-caliber rifle. The round hit McKinney "in the back of the neck and lodged in the left side of his neck."

Nale reportedly dialed 911 from his cell phone, and McKinney was subsequently airlifted to United Presbyterian Medical Center in Pittsburgh, where he was treated and eventually released.

Steve Himmelrick, Brooke County's conservation officer from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, investigated the incident.

Return to Hunting Accident Index

Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

C.A.S.H.
P.O. Box 13815, Las Cruces, NM 88013
Phone: 575-640-7372
E-mail:

C.A.S.H. is a committee of Wildlife Watch, Inc.
a 501(c)3 Not-for-Profit Corporation.
Contributions are tax-deductible.