Date: Fri 08-Nov-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

hunting-accident-police

Full Text:

Forest Hunting Accident Posed Complex Rescue Problems

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

A Bridgeport hunter who was shot and killed November 2 in Lower Paugussett

State Forest in Sandy Hook was the apparent victim of a hunting accident.

State police say that at about 4:30 pm when it was starting to get dark,

hunter Scott A. DiBicelle, 28, of Bridgeport was fatally wounded by an unnamed

hunter.

Mr DiBicelle had been hunting small game, such as coyotes and squirrels, deep

in the forest, according to state police spokesman Sergeant Dale Hourigan.

The adult male hunter who shot Mr DiBecelle was hunting for wild turkey in the

same general area, Sgt Hourigan said. State police know the identity of the

man who shot Mr DiBecelle but declined to disclose it.

Sgt Hourigan said the case remains an open investigation. State police will

meet with the state's attorney office to determine if there will be any

criminal prosecution, he said. State police also will meet with the state

Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) conservation enforcement office

to determine if there were any violations of state hunting regulations.

"It looks like an accident," Sgt Hourigan said.

Sergeant Eric Nelson, of the DEP's conservation enforcement unit, said Mr

DiBecelle's death is unfortunate. He noted there have been very few fatal

hunting accidents in Connecticut in recent years, adding the state has an

excellent hunting safety record. The squirrels, coyotes and turkeys being

sought by the hunters all were in season.

Sgt Nelson declined to comment on whether the hunters were wearing orange

safety clothing at the time of the incident.

John Basso coordinated the medical response to the shooting incident for the

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Mr Basso said the ambulance corps received a report of the shooting at 4:38

pm. The initial report indicated the incident had taken place about

three-quarters of a mile into the woods off Great Quarter Road, but after

arriving there, emergency service workers had to walk about 1.5 miles into the

woods to get to Mr DiBecelle, Mr Basso said.

Emergency crews left Great Quarter Road south of Adahi Trail and proceeded

north by northwesterly into the state forest, Mr Basso said. The forest is

very rocky, muddy and wet and contains very steep hills.

"The terrain took it's toll," Mr Basso said. Nightfall came quickly and it

grew colder as crews walked into the forest, he added. Existing trails aren't

well marked, he noted.

"It was very demanding on everyone due to the time and the circumstances of

the call," Mr Basso said.

The emergency coordinator said the first response team reached Mr DiBecelle at

about 5:30 pm. It's unclear if Mr DiBecelle was alive when emergency crews

arrived.

Mr DiBecelle was carried out of the woods by emergency service workers and

transported by the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps to Danbury Hospital where

he was pronounced dead, according to state police.

The state medical examiner's office performed an autopsy on the victim

November 3, determining he died of shotgun wounds to his head and neck.

State police this week had taken no enforcement action in connection with the

untimely death.

The investigation into Mr DiBecelle's death is being conducted by the state

police's Western District Major Crime Squad, the state Department of

Environmental Protection's conservation unit, and the Newtown Police

Department.

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief William Halstead said

firefighters were working on a chimney fire at Lakeview Terrace at about 4:40

pm when they received a call to go the state forest to aid in the response to

the shooting incident.

Twenty-three Sandy Hook firefighters participated in the operation.

The Stevenson Volunteer Fire Company of Monroe set up a helicopter landing

zone near Stevenson Lumber on Route 111 for the Lifestar helicopter.

Although it was dusk as firefighters, ambulance staffers and police entered

the wooded area, it was quite dark when they were coming out. The biggest

problem the search teams encountered was darkness, Chief Halstead said.

Because darkness in an isolated, heavily wooded area posed problems for those

on foot, the helicopter was called in to provide illumination. Hovering at

about 175 feet altitude for 90 minutes, the helicopter's searchlight lit the

woods helping the walkers get back to Great Quarter Road, according to Mr

Basso.

"It was a godsend to have that," Chief Halstead said of the helicopter's

lighting system.

After the incident, two firefighters were treated for exhaustion, he said.

Chief Halstead lauded the close cooperation between fire, police and ambulance

personnel.

Firefighters returned to the Sandy Hook Firehouse at about 9 pm.

"It was an ordeal," the fire chief said.