Whittier Boy, 8, Fatally Shot by His Father in Deer Hunting Accident
A Whittier boy on a hunting trip in the Cleveland National Forest was accidentally shot and killed by his father Saturday, the opening day of deer season, officials said Sunday.
Adam Rafael Zavala, 8, died from a gunshot wound to the chest when a rifle handled by his father, Rafael Zavala, 48, discharged, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Abbott said.
Abbott said the shooting is believed to be accidental.
It may be the state’s first fatal hunting accident in several years in which the victim was a child, and it is believed to be the first hunting fatality in Orange County in more than a decade.
Investigators said the Zavalas were in a hunting party of four looking for deer two miles west of the small outpost of El Cariso, near the Riverside County line.
Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Rich Paddock said the boy was “shot with a rifle that you would normally hunt deer with.”
Authorities declined to release additional details about the incident, which occurred about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Examiners with the coroner’s office performed an autopsy on the boy Sunday.
In season, hunting is legal in all national forests, although particular areas may be restricted.
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