Deputies said Billquist was walking in a field when a man hunting nearby mistook her for a deer and shot her once with a pistol.
The hunter heard her scream, called 911 and stayed with her until emergency crews arrived. Billquist was taken to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was pronounced dead.
Officials said the shooting occurred about 40 minutes after sunset, when it is illegal to hunt. Police said the hunter had not been charged and the investigation was continuing.
Dale Dunkelberger, master instructor for firearms for the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation’s hunter education program, told the Buffalo News shooting after hours and not properly identifying a target were a recipe for tragedy.
“Hunters have to understand there are other people using trails, using parks in areas where we as sportsmen hunt,” said Dunkelberger. “In this case … he shouldn’t have been out there hunting after sunset. You’re done. That’s the law.”
Dunkelberger said using a pistol to shoot deer was permissible.
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