Hunter charged in slaying

A 24-year-old North Idaho man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter on suspicion of shooting and killing a hunter that he mistook for a deer Sunday.

Raleigh Paul Turley is charged in the death of 30-year-old Casey Lawson. The complaint filed by Benewah County Prosecutor Douglas Payne accuses Turley of operating a firearm recklessly by “firing upon a target he could not distinguish due to inadequate light and conditions.”

A member of the Turley family said they didn’t wish to comment on the incident.

Benewah County Sheriff Robert Kirts said Lawson was in an open field when he was shot. Estimates have put Turley about 100 to 140 yards away at the time the shot was fired, according to Kirts and Payne.

“Mr. Turley saw a flash of white and thought it was a deer,” Kirts said.

Kirts said his office believed that the incident happened after legal shooting hours. It was dark, Kirts said, and reports indicated that there was also blowing snow.

Payne said the case raises several issues.

“This case really has to do with people not being careful of what they’re shooting at, whether it’s due to excitement or carelessness,” he said. “It seems to be a big problem with hunters, especially young hunters.”

Lawson, a Spokane Valley resident, was the first victim of a hunting fatality this season in Idaho. He was engaged and planned to marry Kristina Benefield in June 2006.

Ron Fritz, hunter education coordinator for the State of Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said the state has averaged about one hunting-related fatality each year since 1979.

Mistaking a human for game is one of the most common causes of hunting deaths, Fritz said.

“In hunter education we stress very strongly to be sure of what you’re aiming at,” Fritz said.

Though hunter orange isn’t mandatory in Idaho, Fritz said it’s strongly encouraged, especially in big-game hunting.

“In most cases where a victim is mistaken for game, they’re not wearing hunter orange,” he said. “It saves lives.”

Lawson’s family couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday, but in his obituary, he was described as “a charmer from the day he was born.” Hunting, the obituary said, was “one of his favorite passions.”

A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday in the gymnasium of Tekoa (Wash.) High School, where Lawson attended high school.