Volusia man mistook friend for deer in fatal hunting accident

Deputies release 911 call, death investigation underway

OAK HILL, Fla. – Volusia County deputies are investigating what appears to be a hunting accident that left one man dead in Oak Hill on Wednesday afternoon.

Deputies said they were notified just after 2 p.m. that the hunter accidentally shot a friend with a 12-gauge shotgun deep in a wooded, swampy area west of Interstate 95 and north of Maytown Road.

[AUDIO: Edited 911 call ]

The victim was identified as 65-year-old Bruce Best and the shooter was identified by deputies as 65-year-old Leeshawn Sutton. 

Authorities released Sutton's 911 call minutes after the accident.

"I'm out here in Oak Hill, I just killed my friend in a hunting accident," he told dispatchers.

Detectives say Sutton fired the shotgun in the wrong direction, hitting his friend, after mistaking Best for a deer.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was also helping deputies with the death investigation.

No other details were immediately available.

Check back for more on this story. 


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