Mark Minton North Carolina Wildlife Officer used deadly force after a confrontation with a turkey hunter on opening morning in Wilkes County. 77 Year Old Clyde Coffey was hunting on his own land off of Cane Creek Road when the confrontation took place.
MCGRADY, N.C. – A 77-year-old hunter described as a “teddy bear of man” was shot and killed on his property early Saturday morning by a veteran Wildlife Resources officer, a state game warden and family members of the victim said.
Family members identified the man as Clyde Coffey and his daughter said he often came to his house on Cane Creek Church Rd. to hunt on the hill behind his property. Neighbors remembered Coffey as a “teddy bear of a man” who would never hurt anybody.
Wildlife Resources officers told FOX8 News officer Mark Minton shot a hunter around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, which was the first day of turkey season.
It is unclear what exactly happened and we may not know officially until the SBI wraps up their investigation. I’ve heard that Mr. Coffey was hunting from a treestand which is highly unusual for turkey hunting. Mr. Coffey may have also had a hearing problem that could have contributed to a breakdown in communication between him and Officer Minton. Was he violating a game law when Officer Minton made contact? A lot of questions that I’m sure will have answered at some point. I believe this is the first officer involved shooting in over 20 years for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Enforcement Division which is pretty remarkable when you think that many of their encounters involved armed individuals. We’ll Update when more Info is Available.
