ABC NEWS

When Minnesota authorities arrived at the scene, they found Anthony Klaseus covered in blood and extremely distraught.

"I told him to stay put while I tired to get closer to the turkeys," Anthony Klaseus reportedly told authorities. "Then I heard something snap or break near me and a large figure rose up. I thought it was a turkey and I shot and it went down."

(ABC)

"I just shot my boy," Klaseus said, according to police. "How could I shoot and kill my son? I told him to stay put while I tried to get closer to the turkeys."

On Monday, two weeks later, Sibley County prosecutors charged Klaseus, 39, with second-degree manslaughter in the April 19 homicide of his 8-year-old son.

Adding one more layer of cruelty, Klaseus and his wife had named their only son Hunter.

The boy's death is one of at least three fatalities already reported in this spring's turkey hunting season -- it's a number that often exceeds the total annual U.S. turkey-hunting related fatalities.

In West Virginia, authorities have charged a 19-year-old with misdemeanor negligence after he fatally shot a 16-year-old he mistook for a turkey during a hunt last week. The hunter could face additional charges.

On Sunday morning, a Kentucky father mistook his 14-year-old son for a game bird in what police for now have called a tragic accident.

Comments (6)

rev: ... : http://chipwhit Prayers for the murdered innocent and those who truly love him. Unfortunately it appears that his father did not care enough for him to avoid mistaking him for a turkey. Amen 1 May 07, 2008 thesarge: ... I think the "father" is a dumb ass (at best) for shooting EVER at ANYTHING that is not CLEARLY the intended target! This tragedy was an accident ? 2 May 07, 2008 Strat54: ... thesarge: Again, you have nailed it. Besides, what father doen't know it's very difficult to get a child that age to stay in one place when you are watching him. As for those morons that "mistook" a human being for a 20 pound or so turkey, horse turds. You did not see what you were shooting at. This is not an acident, it is negligent. 3 May 07, 2008 bobcat_1495: ... As a game warden in Ohio, we see these incidents unfortunately on a regular basis. Hunters need to positively identify their target before shooting. This case is a good example. Although hunting is a fun sport and is rewarding when you succeed, people need to take the extra time before shooting, it prevent incidents like this. So what if you don't get a turkey. The safety of yourself, hunting partners, and other hunters that may be in the woods comes first. In Ohio, we have had one incident where an individual was shot in the face and upper chest. Thankfully he is recovering and did not die. 4 May 07, 2008 Det ret rpd narc: I thought it was an illegal shooting..... because he wasn't in the same state as VP Cheney... so he was charged.. In actuality, he was negligent and there is NO excues when hunting to make sure of your target before firing...he didn't do it and should be held accountable... 5 May 07, 2008 Iseecrashes: ... I used to deer hunt a lot, but I must say that I get scared walking around in the woods now. There are some stupid S.O.B.'s out there with guns and I just don't like to take chances. 6 May 08, 2008

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