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Texas hunters charged in shooting they blamed on undocumented immigrants

Josh Hafner
USA TODAY
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Texas hunters suffering gunshot wounds told police that undocumented immigrants had attacked their party before a later investigation determined the hunters accidentally shot one another.

A grand jury indicted Michael Bryant and Walker Daugherty last week on charges of using deadly conduct by discharging firearms in the direction of others, Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominquez told CBS 7.

The sheriff's office responded on Jan. 6 to a shooting at Circle Dug Ranch, near the West Texas border community of Candelaria. A deputy arrived to find Daugherty, a 26-year-old hunting guide, and Edwin Roberts, a 59-year-old client, suffering severe gunshot wounds, Big Bend Now reported.

Initial accounts described the hunters being attacked on all sides by unknown assailants who wanted to steal an RV, according to the Houston Chronicle. An early statement obtained by the Albuquerque Journal went even further, saying they believed "the assailants intended to kill all the party."

Daugherty and his fiancee said they thought the shooters came from across the border, CBS 7 reported.

But then the U.S. Border Patrol dispatched dozens of agents to the area and used thermal imaging technology to scan the premises, according to Big Bend Now. Agents found no trace of any humans in the area besides the hunting party.

Dominquez expressed doubts about the story early on, but it still spread like wildfire. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who has a history of spreading false information, posted about it on his Facebook page, where it gained 6,500 shares, Big Bend Now reported.

A spokesman told the site that family of the shooting victims requested that Miller share it. A GoFundMe page set up to cover Daugherty's medical expenses raised $26,300. (A GoFundMe spokesman said any donors misled by the campaign can get a refund, citing the platform's guarantee.)

But investigators determined that it was Daugherty who sparked the incident when he tried to enter the RV that was occupied by Roberts, setting off a chain of confusion that resulted in bullets flying, CBS 7 reported.

“By the looks of it right now, we believe that during the shooting, with all the commotion and confusion going on, we believe that Michael shot Walker and Walker had shot Edwin,” Dominquez told the station.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

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