14-year-old dead due to hunting accident
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Sebastian County, AR (KFSM) — A hunting accident in Sebastian County Monday (Nov. 23) night resulted in the death of a teenager and wounded his brother, according to Keith Stephens, Chief of Communications at Arkansas Game and Fish.
Stephens says the brothers were hunting near Hartford on Cedar Creek Road when a gun accidentally discharged, striking both the teen and his brother.
The bullet hit 14-year-old Newt Hodge in the back and passed through his body, and struck his 21-year-old brother Kasey Hodge in the shoulder, Stephens reports.
Newt was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Kasey was also transported to the hospital. Stephens says Kasey is expected to live.
An initial investigation shows that the brothers had shot a deer and were attempting to load it into their truck when a gun leaning on the vehicle fell and discharged, striking both teens.
The incident happened at around 5:30 p.m.
Arkansas Game and Fish says this is the second fatal hunting accident of the year. There have been a total of eight accidents during the 2020 hunting season, with six of those involving falls from deer stands, Stephens says. In 2019 there were 22 hunting accidents with 2 fatalities.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that Kacey Hodge’s age was 19 due to information given to 5NEWS by Arkansas Game and Fish.
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