Cop Shoots At Snake, Kills Boy Instead

In a tragic turn of events, 5 year old Austin Haley was shot and killed while fishing with his grandfather when a police officer's stray bullet struck him in the head. The boy and his grandfather, Jack Tracy, were fishing when the grandfather recounts hearing two shots. He recalls seeing something hit the water. Shortly thereafter, a shot fatally struck his grandchild's head. The bullet belonged to a police officer from Noble, Oklahoma.

Unbeknownst to Tracy and his grandson, local cops had responded to a call regarding a snake stuck in a nearby tree only a short distance away from where they were fishing. After several unsuccessful attempts to remove the snake from the tree, the police officer, with the consent of the homeowner, shot at the snake in an attempt to kill it. The bullet, however, missed its intended target, striking Austin Haley instead.

City Manager Bob Wade recounts, "I was told that they tried several ways to get the snake down, but it was still hissing at them and firmly lodged. What I was told is that the owner of the home either suggested or agreed that they should go ahead and shoot the snake, and then everything happened from there."

Thinking that someone was attempting to murder them, Tracy placed his grandson in his vehicle and drove to his daughter's home approximately 200 yards away before calling for medical assistance. The child was later pronounced dead at an Oklahoma City hospital.

The City Manager did not identify the officer suspected to be at fault, but did state that the cop will be on paid administrative leave until a full investigation can definitively determine the cause of the boy's death. A state investigation is currently being conducted to attempt to distinguish whether another shooter may have been responsible instead. However, at this time, officials believe the fatal bullet was shot by the Oklahoma cop at the scene.