OPEN SEASON

Pennsylvania Hunter Shoots Elderly Neighbor He Mistook for a Deer

The man allegedly fired his handgun, then began searching for his fallen game. Instead, he found his 81-year-old neighbor in the driveway.

A hunter in Pennsylvania was charged Friday for firing at an elderly neighbor who he mistook for a deer. In December, Michael Lloyd, 40, of Boalsburg, was allegedly returning home from a hunting trip when he believed he spotted an ungulate for the taking. According to an affidavit by the State College police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Lloyd withdrew his .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, fired at least twice, then began searching for the fallen game. Investigators claim he instead discovered his 81-year-old neighbor lying in his driveway with a head wound. The injured man was airlifted to a hospital and had surgery to remove some of his skull. His injuries are not life-threatening. Lloyd was charged with five hunting violations and misdemeanors for reckless endangerment, injuring a human, and “propulsion of missiles onto a roadway.”