Accidental discharge from over a mile away kills Amish girl

**jmur5074** · 12-21-11, 11:37 AM

MILLERSBURG -- A man cleaning his muzzleloader apparently discharged the fateful shot that, about a mile away, ended the life of 15-year-old Rachel Yoder as she drove her buggy home from a work Christmas party.
"It looks accidental," Holmes County Sheriff Timothy W. Zimmerly said Tuesday morning of the Thursday night shooting.
Investigators canvassing the area started getting reports of a shot fired to the southwest of the area on Friday. A day later, before they could act on those tips, the man's father called the office, Zimmerly said.
The suspected shooter was interviewed Monday evening, and, although unfortunate, Zimmerly said, the story he tells fills in the blanks of what happened the night Yoder was shot.
The man, who has yet to be named because of the pending investigation and possible criminal charges, was preparing to clean his muzzleloader when he fired the weapon into the air to clear the barrel.
Preliminary measurements indicate the residence is located within 1-1 1/2 miles of the location where the first traces of blood were found on the roadway, said Chief Deputy Nathan Fritz.
Although official ballistics reports have yet to be completed, the visual inspection of the bullet -- the weight and brand -- are consistent with those used by the shooter, Fritz said, noting it is well within the capability of the muzzleloader and its projectile to shoot a distance of more than a mile.

More at the link: The-Daily-Record.com - Round from mile-plus away killed girl Man cleaning muzzleloader fires shot that accidentally hits Rachel Yoder

**Captain America** · 12-21-11, 12:16 PM

Rest in peace, Rachel. Another needless tragedy caused someone who does not understand simple physics. Every year at this time it seems someone is killed by a weapon discharged in the air.