In the late autumn of 2016, a hunting trip in the town of Busti, New York, ended in tragedy for 50-year-old Thomas R. Carlson of Jamestown. On Monday, November 28, 2016, Carlson went hunting and did not return home as expected. This prompted his family to start a search for him. Their search concluded with a devastating discovery in the area of Orr Street Extension and Garfield Road.
Responding to a call at approximately 12:45 p.m., officers from the Lakewood-Busti Police Department found Carlson deceased. An investigation into his death determined that he had sustained a single, accidental gunshot wound from his own firearm. The Chautauqua County Coroner's Office, along with the Lakewood-Busti Police, the Busti Fire Department, the Lakewood and Kiantone fire departments, the Chautauqua County Forensic Investigation Team, and the New York State Environmental Conservation Police all participated in the response and investigation.
A graduate of Jamestown High School in 1984 and Paul Smith's College with a degree in Forest Technology, Thomas R. Carlson was remembered as a true outdoorsman. He was an avid participant in skeet and trap shooting, deer hunting, and muskellunge fishing. His love for the outdoors also extended to snowmobiling, and in the years leading up to his death, he had taken up kayaking and horseback riding. He was a life and benefactor member of the NRA and held memberships at the Celoron Rod & Gun Club for 34 years, as well as the Carroll Rod & Gun and Lakewood Rod & Gun clubs. For 17 years, he was an employee at Gander Mountain in Erie, Pennsylvania. His death was officially ruled an accident, and there were no suspects or arrests in the case.
