On a fall afternoon in Henderson, Maryland, 75-year-old Marvin Bowen Coppage was guiding a pheasant and chukar hunt on private property off Ell Downes Road. It was Saturday, October 10, 2015, and Coppage, an employee of Schrader's Outdoors Ltd., was accompanied by a hunting party that included three juveniles. With his dog by his side, he moved through the brush, working to flush a bird for the clients.
Suddenly, the day took a tragic turn when Coppage was struck by a shotgun blast.
Two of the three boys, both around 14 years old, had fired at the rising birds from about 20 feet away. The hunting guide was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 5 p.m. by first responders. An autopsy later determined that the cause of death was a fatal brain injury.
The Maryland Natural Resources Police launched an investigation into the incident. The investigation concluded that the shooting was accidental. According to the investigators, Coppage was in the process of flushing birds from a grassy area, rising to get them airborne and then ducking low as the hunters prepared to fire. The evidence, however, could not definitively determine which of the two boys who fired their shotguns had discharged the fatal round.
Following the investigation, the Queen Anne's County State's Attorney reviewed the findings and concurred that the death of Marvin Bowen Coppage was an accident. As a result, no charges were filed, and the active investigation was suspended pending the emergence of any new evidence.
