Four Charged With Illegal Hunting After Accidental Shooting

Ricky Johnson accidentally shot by hunting companion Saturday

Four men have been charged with illegal hunting after an incident that ended with one of their companions being an accidental shooting victim.

Ricky Johnson, 59, of Clinton had to be rescued by paramedics Saturday afternoon in Fort Washington after he was accidentally shot in the abdomen and knee in a heavily wooded area near the intersection of Indian Head Highway and Old Fort Road.

A spokesperson for the Maryland Natural Resources Police Department told News4 that the five men were hunting without permission on property owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the incident happened as the men were attempting to flush deer out from the underbrush. When a deer did leap into view, 57-year-old Roy Contee of Upper Marlboro fired a shot, which struck Johnson. Contee was charged with negligent hunting, hunting without written permission, and hunting with buckshot.

Three other members of the party were also charged. James Creek, 66, of Capitol Heights was charged with failure to field tag a deer, illegal use of buckshot, failure to wear fluorescent orange and hunting on land without written permission

Bryan Creek, 33, also of Capitol Heights, was charged with hunting without a license and state hunter safety certificate, hunting on land without written permission, and illegal use of buckshot.

The fifth hunter, Marcus Johnson, 56, of Fort Washington, was charged with hunting without permission and illegal use of buckshot.

Saturday was the second of two days when deer could be hunted with modern firearms in the Baltimore-Washington region. Deer can be hunted with bows and arrows until Jan. 31. The Maryland Natural Resources Police does promote legal hunting as a valuable way to limit the deer population in the area.

A separate investigation into the shooting is being carried out by the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.

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