A western New York woman out walking her dogs was fatally shot by a hunter who mistook her for a deer, police said.
Rosemary Billquist, 43, was out Wednesday evening when she was hit by a single gunshot. She was transported to a hospital in Erie and died from her injuries, according to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.
“I know she’s touched so many lives with her kindness and would help anyone no matter what,” Billquist’s husband posted on Facebook Thursday. “plz everyone have thanksgiving with your family’s and enjoy those moments they are precious.”
“I will miss you and love you forever and I know you dancing in heaven with your momma and all of our friends and family that we have lost,” he added.
Police said Thomas Jadlowski, 34, believed he saw a deer in a field 200 yards away when he fired the deadly shot.
The hunter heard a scream and rushed to Billquist, calling 911 and applying pressure to her wounds, cops said.
Jadlowski fired the shot after sunset, which is the legal limit to hunt deer.
No charges have been filed against him but an investigation is ongoing