Simon Jacob Howell, 26, of Ridgeley, West Virginia, was fatally shot while on a hunting trip west of Kremmling, Colorado, on November 9, 2020. He was part of a hunting group tracking a wounded elk through steep, densely timbered terrain when, just before 10:00 a.m., a member of the party was reported to law enforcement as having been shot by another member. The Grand County Coroner later confirmed a single gunshot wound as the cause of death.

Authorities treated the incident as isolated. The man who fired the shot, 52-year-old Harry Watkins of Pennsylvania, cooperated with investigators. Prosecutors filed criminally negligent homicide charges alleging Watkins fired multiple rifle shots in quick succession through thick woods, striking Howell. The case proceeded to trial but the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a hung jury.

Simon’s family described him as a skilled outdoorsman who cherished time in the woods. Does anyone have information about the day’s events or about the hunting party that could clarify how the shooting occurred?