New York Hunter Charged With Manslaughter After Killing 16-Month Baby in Home

In Swan Lake, New York, Edward Taibi, 45, of Queens, New York has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after firing at a deer too close to a home and killing 16-month-old Charly Skala inside the grandparents’ trailer home. It is only the latest such killing, but a relatively rare case of a hunter being criminally charged.

All states prohibit hunters from firing too close to a dwelling, often 400 to 500 yards. The New York rule is 500 yards. Taibi had fired on a deer from a deer stand and jumped down to fire another round at the escaping deer. That round hit Charly.

Accidents are obviously inevitable during hunting season, but some are clear acts of negligence and potentially criminal acts, click here. For a prior column discussing these cases, click here.

In this case, civil liability is likely to follow. Taibi is accused of violating a statutory standard of care, making this a potential negligence per se case as well as a battery case for wrongful death.

For the full story, click here and here.