Tragedy as a pregnant woman was ‘mistakenly’ shot at and killed by a friend showing off his gun
After being accidentally shot in the head by a friend who was showing off his gun collection, a pregnant Florida woman and her unborn child have both died, police said.
According to Daily News, New York, William DeHayes was reportedly showing Katherine Lynn Hoover and her husband his gun collection at his Brooksville home at 6:45 p.m. Saturday when a .22 caliber revolver discharged. The 25-year-old mom-to-be, who was with her husband Carson, was hit in the temple.
Rushed to Bayfront Health Brooksville by ambulance, she was then airlifted to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. Doctors carried out emergency surgery and managed to remove the 5-months pregnant woman’s baby at 8 p.m. But he was declared dead just 30 minutes later. Hoover – who also had a 6-year-old son called Nicholas – managed to survive the night, but passed away the following morning. Her husband, Carson Hoover, was “very distraught” and traumatized by the woman’s death, Gergory Stewart – whose daughter used to date Hoover until June 2013 – told The Tampa Tribune.
“I just got off the phone with him,” Stewart told the newspaper. “He is very upset and going through the range of emotions a normal person would. He’s not sleeping, very traumatized.”
He described Hoover, a heavy equipment driver, as a “great, hard-working guy. “Carson is an all-around nice guy and a very good family man,” Stewart told the paper. “He has two children now he still has to take care of. That will be difficult.”
Officers from Hernando Sheriff’s department have launched an investigation into the tragedy. Initial reports suggest that the incident was an accident. But cops have not revealed whether 35-year-old DeHayes, who has no criminal history, will be charged with negligence. Tributes have since been paid to Hoover, with her brother Gary Bryan telling The Tampa Bay Times that she was a “wonderful and special woman.”
“What has happened is truly a tragic shock. She was a wonderful wife and mother. She had just gotten married and was getting herself established,” he added. Her sister Kayleigh Bryan echoed the sentiment. “She was truly a special person, inside and out. We were blessed to have the time that we had with her. She’s going to be missed very much,” she said.
Source: The Daily News, NY