A 30-year-old father and his young daughter were shot and killed on New Year’s Day while out hunting in the woods just behind their house.
The two South Carolina residents had always been outdoor enthusiasts – like most of their family – and just a few weeks before, the 9-year-old daughter had taken her first deer.
Kim Drawdy and his daughter, Lauren Drawdy, were mistaken for deer as they were driving deer – which is a method used to get the deer to move and become easier to spot.
NEWS RELEASE: Four hunters were attempting to move deer, also known as driving deer, near Barracada Road in Walterboro when two hunters were shot after being mistaken for a deer.
Those two hunters succumbed to their injuries.
SCDNR continues to investigate this incident.
— S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources (@SCDNR) January 2, 2020
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources tweeted about the incident on January 2nd, saying very little, but adding that the department is still investigating it all.
Drawdy’s brother, Benny, said that the family is devastated by the deaths and the situation.
“I couldn’t believe it when I first got the news,” said Benny. “… It broke my heart and I couldn’t believe it — a twin brother and now there’s only one left.”
“Of all days, ringing in the New Year, something like this happens.”
Barry McRoy, Chief for Colleton County Fire & Rescue, told People Magazine that emergency responders were led to the victims down a dirt path and in an area impassable for vehicles. They had to carry equipment into the scene – half-a-mile into the woods. The victims were declared dead upon arrival.
More details about how exactly the two were mistaken for deer have yet to be revealed, but officials say that autopsies on both will be performed in the coming days.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Drawdy family during this very difficult time.
Watch the two news reports below.