Hunter acquitted in deadly shooting of Marine reservist
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon hunter has been found not guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of a Marine reservist from California he says he mistook for a bear.
The Statesman Journal newspaper reports the Salem jury deliberated for about two hours Friday before acquitting Eugene Collier.
The 68-year-old was the last witness to take the stand.
He told jurors he was shooting to kill when he fired the .270-caliber bullet that caused the death of 20-year-old Christopher Ochoa, of French Camp, Calif., in October 2011 near Silver Falls State Park.
Collier was hunting with his 12-year-old grandson and says he thought he was shooting a bear
He and his wife met with members of Ochoa's family privately after the trial ended. Neither family spoke with the media after the verdict.
This is an inexcusable travesty of justice. Â Unless the hiker was wearing a black furry coat then there is no reason why he should have been mistaken. Â This man should have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, sentenced, and had his guns taken away for good. Â Instead, there is nothing stopping this from happening again.
I understand you're upset, but those law practitioners are experts in their field and should be trusted with their decision. Â It is the same reason you and I Â agree that only the cops should carry deadly firearms because they are trained and it's their job.
@Baldr Odinson Don't go hiking on private land without permission. Problem solved.
@Baldr Odinson ---nothing at all, because human flesh BBQd properly tastes a lot better than bear, unless it's Yogi who has been eating nuts and berries and a PICNIC BASKET...in Jellystone Park.
"The Ranger Bob is not 'gunna' like this"---BooBoo the Bear
I don't want to hear ANYthing the NRA has to say about it - or anything ELSE they might decide to converse on while sounding like a complete idiot. Wayne LaPierre is the worst spokesperson I ever saw.
And the guy DIDN'T shoot a bear, he gunned down a person. He didn't make ANY money from that and created another tragedy
@Vicki Bee ---and he probably does not even know how to cook bear meat properly. If the bear has been eating off of salmon, human flesh tastes better.
The NRA claims that hunters contribute almost $1 billion a year from hunting and fire arms fees to wildlife preservation. That is quite an admirable chunk of change. Sure would be nice if some of that money could be earmarked for a fund for innocent people injured or killed in hunting accidents. Â Â
What a waste of taxpayer monies! Stupid District Attorney...
Firearms are always loaded, never put finger inside trigger guard until rifle on target, never let weapon point at something you do not want to kill or destroy, and - finally - always make sure of your target and what is behind it before you point your weapon. Â How did this jury reach the conclusion of not guilty unless it was an act of mercy for the accused.
@Reis Kash It was on his land, so it's a pretty clear cut not guilty.Â
@PleaseBeSmart @Reis Kash You do not have the right to shoot a trespasser.  Not even in a Stand Your Ground State.Â
@PleaseBeSmart @DrDeLurk ---with a state park so near, it would be reasonable to assume that October hikers are quite prevalent in an area not demarcated by a fence. Also, bears tend to hangout by rivers to catch fish, so do humans, who are legally entitled to traverse private property along a creek (even if only intermittently navigational by raft or canoe).
Since the shooter was acquitted, I can only presume the victim was nowhere near the creek, and since it was October, he may have been hiking on private property to harvest mushrooms (matsutake), truffles, etc.
@DrDeLurk Of course not. But you are allowed to hunt on your land that's what this guy was doing. He was expecting wildlife on his land, not trespassers.Â
@DrDeLurk @PleaseBeSmart @Reis Kash ---I don't think anybody has the right to shoot a bear unless it is attacking. Shoot the dam deer and drink beer with the bears!
@PleaseBeSmart @Reis Kash ---I don't think the bears would agree the jury either.
Tragic way for this marine to die. I hope at least that Mr. Collier will give up hunting bear since he can't tell one from a human.
@invisibleman I agree having hunted most my life on a couple occasions I raised my rifle to a noise coming from the brush. 1st time it was a man walking but I would never pull the trigger without knowing 100% what I was firing at the 2nd was a buck I could make out the horns but couldn't see the body so I didn't fire this man should never be allowed to hunt he took a human life there has to be a consequence for that.
@grainger The problem with that is you can't take away someone's right to own firearms without there having been a felony committed.Â
@PleaseBeSmart @grainger ---and now that both the bears and some fellow marines of the victim know where he lives, we'd better let him keep his firearms just in case.