No charges for man who said he aimed at squirrel, hit teen

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer

Authorities will not press charges against a man who shot a teenager while trying to shoot a squirrel.

Casey Miller, 17, told authorities he was walking through Burke County woods Saturday with a friend when he heard the crack of a rifle. He said he heard another shot a second later and felt stinging in his right leg and buttocks, said Sgt. Alan Cobb of the Burke County Sheriff's Office.

Miller told officers he yelled, "I believe you shot me," and asked the shooter to stop firing, Cobb said.

Ted West, 58, of Valdese told authorities he was following squirrels through the scope of his .22-caliber rifle from a window in his nearby home and didn't see Miller, Cobb said.

West took Miller to Valdese Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released Saturday evening, Cobb said.

The Sheriff's Office and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which confiscated the rifle and investigated the shooting, decided the shooting was accidental and do not plan to press charges against West, Cobb said.

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