In the autumn of 2019, the life of 17-year-old Bobby Lee Lane was tragically cut short in a wooded area in Brunswick, Georgia. A hardworking young man with a love for the outdoors, he was an avid hunter and fisherman who was known for making people smile. On Saturday, September 28, 2019, he embarked on a hunting trip with a friend, a day that would end in devastating loss.
Lane and his acquaintance, Hector Romero-Hernandez, were in a hunting area off Myers Hill Road.
Romero-Hernandez, who was 32 at the time, later told investigators that he heard rustling in the leaves and, believing he was aiming at a deer, fired his rifle. The shot, however, struck Lane. In a desperate attempt to get help, Romero-Hernandez drove the injured teenager to a nearby Friendly Express gas station to meet emergency responders. Despite these efforts, Bobby Lee Lane succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital.
The investigation that followed uncovered a series of illegalities surrounding the hunting trip. At the time of the shooting, it was archery season for deer hunting in Georgia; the use of firearms was not permitted. This raised immediate questions as to why Romero-Hernandez was using a rifle. As the investigation by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Glynn County Police Department progressed, it was revealed that Romero-Hernandez did not have the proper licenses to hunt in the area, nor did he have permission to be on the property.
More than a year after the fatal incident, in December 2020, a Glynn County grand jury indicted Hector Romero-Hernandez on multiple charges. These included involuntary manslaughter, hunting under the influence, hunting with an unlawful weapon, and several other hunting-related violations. The indictment specified that Romero-Hernandez was under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamine, rendering it unsafe for him to be hunting. Lane's family, who had long awaited legal action, expressed their grief and frustration, with his father noting the improbability of mistaking his six-foot-tall son for a deer.
In April 2023, Hector Romero-Hernandez pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and misuse of hunting equipment. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to five years in prison and was also required to pay a fine. The resolution of the legal case brought a measure of closure to a tragedy that had deeply affected the Brunswick community and served as a somber reminder of the potential consequences when hunting regulations and safety precautions are not followed.
