Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot his hunting partner, mistaking him for a covey of quail.  As of this writing, the victim remains in the intensive care unit.

This is the first time since 1804, when Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, that a sitting vice president has shot anybody.

The shooting occurred at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, about 60 miles southwest of Corpus Christi, where the vice president and several companions were hunting quail.  The shooting victim was a 78-year-old man named Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, Texas.  Whittington was reportedly 30 yards away from Cheney when he was hit in the cheek, neck and chest.  Cheney was using a 28-gauge shotgun.  Each of the hunters was wearing a bright orange vest at the time.

According to eyewitness Katherine Armstrong, an owner of the ranch, Cheney, Whittington, and another hunter, later identified as the Ambassador to Switzerland, were patrolling for quail from a vehicle.  They spotted a covey of quail and got out of the car to shoot at the birds.  Whittington came up from behind the vice president and did not signal or announce himself.

Bush and senior aides were told Saturday night that somebody in the Cheney's hunting party was shot, and Bush was told later the same evening that Cheney was the shooter.  Neither the White House nor the vice president’s office reported the shooting to the press or to law enforcement authorities.  In Texas, hunting parties are not required to report an accident if nobody dies.

THE TIMELINE

Sat Feb 11 5:50 PM CST – VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY SHOOTS HARRY WHITTINGTON.  Most news sources state that the shooting took place about 5:30 PM CST.  MSNBC, citing the U.S. Secret Service, is more exact, stating 5:50 P.M. CST.  This would be about a half an hour before sunset.

Sat Feb 11 5:50-6:20 PM CST – WHITTINGTON IS TREATED ON THE SCENE.  Cheney’s traveling medical detail treats Whittington for half an hour before evacuating him.

Sat Feb 11 6:20 PM CST – SOMEBODY CALLS AN AMBULANCE.  Whittington is transported to a hospital in Kingsville, Texas, in an ambulance on standby for the vice president.

Sat Feb 11 6:30 PM CST (7:30 PM EST) – PRESIDENT BUSH IS TOLD OF THE SHOOTING.  Bush and senior aides, including presidential spokesman Scott McClellan, are first told by staff in the Situation Room that there had been an accident in Cheney’s hunting party.  White House sources say Bush himself was notified by Chief of Staff Andrew Card.

Sat Feb 11 7:00 PM CST (8:00 PM EST) – BUSH IS TOLD WHO DID THE SHOOTING.  Senior White House adviser Karl Rove phones Bush and informs him that Cheney was the one who fired the weapon.

Sat Feb 11 7:00 PM CST – SECRET SERVICE CALLS THE SHERIFF.  The supervisor of the McAllen Field Office notifies the Kenedy County Sheriff’s Department.  The vice president is not to be interviewed until Sunday morning.  "They made arrangements at the sheriff's request to have deputies come out and interview the vice president the following morning at 8 A.M.," according to Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren.

Later Saturday evening – OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE ARE TURNED AWAY FROM THE RANCH.  At least one Sheriff’s Deputy showed up at the ranch’s front gate and asked to speak to Cheney but was turned away by the Secret Service.  Gilbert San Miguel, Chief Deputy Sheriff, later said that alcohol was not a factor in the shooting, but he would not elaborate about how that had been determined.

All Saturday evening – NO ONE CONSIDERS NOTIFYING THE PRESS.  Katharine Armstrong, one of the owners of the ranch, who had witnessed the shooting, said no one discussed notifying the public of the accident Saturday because they were so consumed with the medical condition of the gunshot victim.

Sun Feb 12 5:00 AM CST (6:00 AM EST) – WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY IS TOLD WHO DID THE SHOOTING.  Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan learns that Cheney had fired the weapon.  He says he urged the vice president’s office to get the story out "as quickly as possible."

Sun Feb 12 8:00 AM CST – SHERIFF’S OFFICE GETS TO SEE CHENEY.  He was interviewed by the Sheriff of Kenedy County at the ranch where the shooting took place.

All day Sunday – THE WHITE HOUSE NEVER INFORMS THE NATIONAL MEDIA.

Sun Feb 12, late morning – RANCH OWNER NOTIFIES THE PRESS.  Katharine Armstrong calls a reporter at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.  She said the family realized in the morning that it would be a story and decided to call the local newspaper.

Sun Feb 12 12:00 NOON CST (4:00 PM EST)  VICE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE CONFIRMS THE STORY.  Only after journalists called to ask about the report on the Corpus Christi Caller-Times website did Cheney’s office confirm the story.  This was about 18 hours after the shooting.

Mon Feb 13, morning – CHENEY SPEAKS TO BUSH DIRECTLY.  At the regularly scheduled Monday morning briefing, Cheney speaks to Bush about the shooting, reportedly for the first time.

Mon Feb 13, later in the morning – CONTENTIOUS WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING.  Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan faces dozens of questions from a combative White House press corps upset that news had been withheld, and that it was announced by a private citizen rather than the White House or Cheney’s office.  One reporter asked: "Is it appropriate for a private citizen to be the person to disseminate the information that the Vice President of the United States has been – has shot someone?"

COMMENTARY

Hunters are not required to announce their presence to their hunting partners.  To do so would alert the intended prey.  Hunters are expected to know what they are shooting at before they pull the trigger.  This is why they wear bright orange vests.

The shooting of a human being at close range with a 28-gauge shotgun can be viewed as assault with a deadly weapon.  Even if the shooting was accidental, a jury might find it negligent.  The failure of the vice-president to report the shooting, and his refusal to be questioned for 14 hours, leave forever unanswered the question of his condition at the time of the shooting.

Sheriff’s Deputies were turned away at the front gate by Secret Service agents when they attempted to question Vice President Cheney.  How can this not constitute interference with the duties of a police officer?  The Deputy says that alcohol was not a factor in the shooting, but how would he know?

If the shooter had been Ted Kennedy, the media would accuse him of assault with a deadly weapon, failure to report the incident, leaving the scene of the crime, obstruction of justice, and interstate flight to avoid prosecution.

Now that the vice-president is safely ensconced in Washington, one hopes that he will not fight extradition if Texas authorities decide to press charges.

I am not mollified by reading that the vice-president had a valid hunting license.  I was unaware that it was open season on Texas millionaires.

SOURCES

Associated Press, CBS Evening News, PBS News Hour, Reuters News Service, MSNBC website, ABC News website, BradBlog.

COURTESY OF

Richard Hayes Phillips
Canton, New York