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Man says he fatally shot another hunter after mistaking him for deer

Man says he fatally shot another hunter after mistaking him for deer
Posted at 2:45 PM, Dec 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-01 14:47:10-05

BELTRAMI COUNTY, Minn. – A man who was hunting in northwest Minnesota was shot and killed by another hunter last week.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says 28-year-old Lukas R. Dudley was shot by 33-year-old Rain Stately last Wednesday and it appeared to be an accident.

The men were reportedly not hunting together.

Around Dusk, Stately told authorities that he saw movement of what he thought was a deer and then fired one round from his rifle.

“When he discovered Dudley, he immediately called 911 and is cooperating with the investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office says Dudley was not wearing the typical blaze orange or other high-visibility clothing.

Dudley was transported to a medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Officials haven’t said where the bullet struck him or at what range.

The incident is being investigated by the sheriff’s office, Red Lake Tribal Police Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.