STOWE, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont police department says a hunter who suffered life-threatening injuries after being shot in Stowe is in serious, but stable condition at a Burlington hospital.
Stowe Police on Wednesday identified the victim of the late Tuesday afternoon shooting as 31-year-old Joshua Fitzgerald, of Westford.
Police say a preliminary investigation found that Fitzgerald was standing outside a pickup truck. A rifle went off accidentally inside the truck as it was being unloaded by 24-year-old Avery Cochran, of South Burlington. The two men were returning from hunting at about 5 p.m.
The investigation into the shooting is continuing.
Mandatory hunter training is credited with helping to reduce over the years the number of hunter-involved shootings. Vermont has not seen a hunter shooting fatality since 2011.
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