A TEENAGER has been shot and killed in a tragic accident while squirrel hunting.
Carson Ryan, 17, was on a hunting trip when he was shot by a fellow hunter in Iowa on Saturday.
GoFundMeCarson Ryan was in his final year of high school[/caption]
The Washington teen was “mistaken for a squirrel by a member of his hunting party”, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
“[He was] struck in the back of the head”, a spokesperson said.
“Carson was transported to UI Health Care Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries,” the spokesperson added.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Carson was in his final year at Washington High School and a player on the varsity football team.
In a tribute Facebook post, the Washington Boy’s Track and Field team said their “hearts are broken”.
“[We] ask you to keep Carson’s mom, family, classmates and teammates in your hearts as we navigate the devastating loss of Carson,” the post read.
A vigil was held for Carson on Saturday evening, hosted by the secondary school to honour their former pupil.
Assistant football coach Nic Williams said: “Carson was a fierce competitor in everything he did”.
“He loved fishing. He loved being with his friends. But more importantly, Carson was a person of incredible faith,” he said.
The heart breaking accident has added fuel to the fire of the ongoing debate surrounding gun laws and young people in the US.
Carson’s shock death comes as the New York Police Department revealed that a 13-year-old boy had been declared brain dead after being shot in the head on his way to school.
Just last week a mass shooting at a church in Michigan also claimed four lives and left eight survivors injured.
The gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, ploughed his car into the church before unleashing gunfire on worshippers inside.