A New York woman was fatally shot after a man said he mistakenly took her for a deer, according to police.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office says 43-year-old Rosemary Billquist, of Sherman, had taken her two Labradors for a walk in her hometown near the Pennsylvania border around 5.30pm on Wednesday.
The hunter, identified as 34-year-old Thomas Jadlowski, told deputies he thought he saw a deer in the field and fired his single-shot pistol.
After hearing Billquist’s scream, he found her about 200 yards away, called 911 and applied pressure to her wound until EMS arrived
Rosemary Billquist, 43 (left and right), of Sherman, New York, had taken her two Labradors for a walk in her hometown near the Pennsylvania border around 5.30pm on Wednesday when she was shot by 34-year-old Thomas Jadlowski
Jadlowski (pictured) told deputies he thought he saw a deer in the field and fired his single-shotpistol. After hearing Billquist’s scream, he found her about 200 yards away, called 911 and applied pressure to her wound until EMS arrived
Billquist was taken to UPMC Hamot hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was pronounced dead.
Sheriff’s officials said Jadlowski has been cooperating with investigation and not charges have been filed as of yet.
The investigation showed that Jadlowski reported the shooting at 5.24pm, 40 minutes after sunset. It is illegal to hunt after sunset per New York State law.
Jamie Billquist, who met his wife in 1990, said she was was a loving and selfless woman.
‘She was always out to help somebody. She never wanted credit and was always quiet about it,’ he told The Buffalo News. ‘She’s just an angel. An angel for sure.’
Billquist’s husband Jamie (right, with Billquist) said his wife was a volunteer at Chautauqua Hospice and at UPMC Chautauqua WCA Hospital, where she worked performing medical transcription
The investigation showed that Jadlowski (right) reported the shooting at 5.24pm, 40 minutes after sunset. It is illegal to hunt after sunset per New York State law
Sheriff’s officials said Jadlowski has been cooperating with investigators and no charges have been filed as of yet (Pictured, location where the shooting occurred)
Billquist was a volunteer at Chautauqua Hospice and at UPMC Chautauqua WCA Hospital, where she worked performing medical transcription.
‘She could have done so much more,’ he said. ‘Her life was cut way too short.’
Friends and co-workers on Thursday night held a vigil, decorating a bench she donated to the hospital with electric tea lights, a yellow Lab stuffed animal and flowers.
‘They sang and prayed,’ her husband said. ‘It was amazing. It was a community thing. I was blessed to be able to share it.’