By Samantha Joseph
Staff writer
HOBE SOUND - A Loxahatchee man is dead following a hunting accident in an undeveloped portion of the Bridgewater development, just north of Jupiter.
Clinton Robert Haas, 34, died at the scene from a gunshot wound, in what investigators described as a "terrible hunting accident."
He was hog hunting with a friend at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 18.
The shooter is Ernie Small Jr., a 36-year-old West Palm Beach man.
Mr. Small thought he was shooting at a hog when he fatally shot his friend, investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
Officials are treating the case as an accident. The sheriff's office turned it over to the FWC, which investigates hunting accidents.
At press time the investigation was ongoing, with law enforcement officials saying they were still considering several factors, including weather conditions and the hunters' experience levels.
"At this point in our investigation, this appears to be a terrible hunting accident," Capt. John Suggs, FWC's law enforcement supervisor, said in a press release.
"As with all hunting accidents, we will conduct a thorough investigation to find out how and why this hunting trip ended so tragically."