Wednesday evening, 43-year-old Rosemary Billquist decided to take her two Labrador Retrievers, Sugar and Stella, on a walk in a field behind her western New York home. Little did she know that she would not be returning home.
Shortly later, Rosemary's husband, Jamie, heard his dogs barking. When he went outside to see what the commotion was about, he was greeted by EMTs who were pulling into his driveway. One of the EMTs was also a family friend.
"Jamie, we've got a gunshot wound," the friend said as he rushed into the field.
The victim ended up being Rosemary.
How the Shooting Occurred
The Billquist's neighbor, 34-year-old Thomas B. Jadlowski, thought he had seen a deer in the field. He grabbed his single shot handgun and shot Billquist from 200 yards away, The Buffalo News reported.
Once Jadlowski found Rosemary, he applied pressure to his wound as he called 911.
EMTs took Rosemary to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was pronounced dead.
"They tried saving her," Jamie Billquist said. "It was just too bad. ... It's horrific. It will be with me the rest of my life."
According to the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office, Jadlowski has been fully cooperative with the investigation. So far no charges are being brought forth.
Hunting Violations
Jadlowski called 911 at 5:24 p.m., 40 minutes after sunset, to report the incident. New York state's hunting laws prohibit an individual from hunting deer after sunset, sheriff's officials told The Buffalo News.
Because of the violation, the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office, Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation are all working together to determine if charges will be filled, and if so, what those charges will be.