SHERMAN, NY — A woman is dead after a man said he mistakenly identified a deer and shot her, according to the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office.
According to deputies, a man believed he saw a deer in a field when he fired a single shot pistol. The man told the Sheriff's Office he heard a scream and immediately responded to the area, about 200 yards away, where he discovered the woman.
The incident happened around 5:24 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Armenian Road in the Town of Sherman.
The woman, identified as 43-year-old Rosemary A. Billquist, of Sherman, was taken to UPMC Hamot in Erie, PA where she later succumbed to her injuries.
After Billquist was shot, the man called 911 and applied pressure to Billquist's wound until EMS arrived, according to deputies.
A preliminary investigation suggests that the man fired the shot after sunset, which is the legal limit to hunt deer. Billquist was apparently walking her dogs at the time of the incident.
No charges have been filed yet, but the investigation is continuing.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police joined the Sheriff's Office in the investigation.
