Man dies in hunting accident

MOSES LAKE — A Wenatchee man has died, following an incident Monday when he was accidentally shot by his hunting partner.

Mark L. Foland, 51, was pronounced dead at Samaritan Hospital after losing a large amount of blood from his right leg.

According to the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Foland was shot in the back of the leg by 38-year-old Randall A. O'Neel of Wenatchee. Reports indicate the two men were walking back to their vehicle when O'Neel noticed that the safety to his shotgun was off and tried to activate it.

The 12-gauge shotgun then fired, striking Foland in the back of the right leg.

The two men had been hunting waterfowl between two circles of harvested corn in an area near Road A NE, approximately 1.5 miles south of Road 3 NE. They were carrying duck decoys back to their vehicle when the incident occurred.

Dispatchers received a call at about 1:30 p.m. from O'Neel's cell phone. GCSO reports indicated that emergency dispatchers tried to help O'Neel control Foland's bleeding while first responders attempted to locate the two men.

Foland was later airlifted from the area and transported to Samaritan at about 3 p.m. Foland was stabilized in the emergency room and put on life support at the hospital. He was later pronounced dead from excessive blood loss.

Authorities from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Moses Lake Police officer Jeff Turner also aided in the incident. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, but the GCSO Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate the shooting.

The GCSO said in a press release that hunters should practice good safety techniques and know their location when hunting in remote areas.

— Staff report