Local hunter's death was no accident

A very special friend wrote the following and I wanted to share this. Thank you, Bill.

MARY SEPPALA

Ponderay

"When I put a round in my rifle, aim it at something and pull the trigger, it is intentional, not an accident. If I was hunting bear and shot a grizzly thinking it was a black bear, that could be a mistake. Not likely, but could be.

"In my opinion when someone puts a round in their rifle, takes aim and pulls the trigger, that is intentional, not an accident. To mistake a grizzly for a black bear, although not likely, could happen. There are hunters, using the word loosely, that do not have a clue.

"When someone puts a round in their rifle, takes aim, pulls the trigger and kills a grizzly bear, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game offers a $5,000 reward. When someone puts a round in their rifle, takes aim, intentionally pulls the trigger and kills Steve Seppala, it is called an accident.

"Although I have known of cases in the past where one hunting partner shot the other one, they never went home and left them lying in the woods.

"In my opinion when someone intentionally put a round in their rifle, intentionally took aim, pulled the trigger and fired the round that killed Steve Seppala and never came forward at that time, it was not an accident.

"If someone is shot on a city street it is murder. If someone is shot in the woods while hunting, it is an accident?

"The person who shot Steve Seppala walked up to him, then walked away and left him. But the bottom line is someone shot Steve Seppala and has not come forward."

BILL BRANSON

Sandpoint