A family hunting trip near Smith Lake in Crane Hill, Alabama, ended in tragedy on Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2014, when 37-year-old Thomas Aaron Tucker Jr. of Cullman was fatally wounded by a single round of buckshot. Seven people had traveled by boat to hunt near the Smith Lake RV Resort and were positioned in a heavily wooded area; Tucker and another hunter were on opposite sides of a small ravine with dense foliage obscuring their view of one another. Shortly after 3 p.m. the other hunter fired at a deer and hit it, and one pellet continued on to strike Tucker in the stomach.

Emergency personnel reached him only after navigating difficult terrain; Tucker lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter, a relative by marriage, was emotionally distraught and taken to a nearby hospital. The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office investigated and ruled the killing a freak accident, and no criminal charges were filed; authorities withheld the shooter’s identity at the family’s request.

Does anyone have information about that day or knew Thomas and the members of the hunting party?