Blake E. Schroder, 23, of Pella, Iowa, was killed on Sunday, December 9, 2018, during a hunting outing at Robert’s Creek Park north of Lake Red Rock in Marion County. The shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. during the second period of Iowa’s shotgun deer season while Schroder was part of a large hunting party. Emergency responders from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Pella Ambulance attended the scene.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ initial investigation indicated Schroder was fatally wounded by a single round believed to have been fired by a member of his own hunting group. An autopsy was scheduled at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny. Schroder, known as Bubba, was a 2013 Pella Community High School graduate with an Associate’s Degree in Agribusiness from Des Moines Area Community College and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and boating.

Reports from the days after the incident described the death as an accidental shooting; no arrests or criminal charges were indicated and no suspect was named. If anyone knew Blake or was at Robert’s Creek Park that afternoon, any information could be important.