Andrew "AJ" Smith, a 28-year-old man from Elyria, Ohio, tragically died on December 2, 2020, in a hunting accident in Delaware County, Ohio. AJ was with his father, Bradley Smith, and a group of friends hunting white-tailed deer during Ohio's annual deer gun-hunting week. Unfortunately, Bradley mistook AJ for a deer and shot him, resulting in AJ's death.
The accident occurred in a wooded area along Pollock Road, and AJ was not wearing any orange hunting clothing at the time, which is required during deer gun season.
The Delaware County Sheriff's Office confirmed that AJ's father is not facing charges for the shooting, as it was deemed an accident. However, the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the case as part of standard procedure for death investigations. AJ was a former baseball player who graduated from Lincoln College in Illinois and later worked as a volunteer firefighter. He was living and working in Columbus as an independent contractor at the time of his death.
The tragic incident has been described as "the worst kind of tragedy" by authorities, highlighting the importance of wearing proper hunting gear to prevent such accidents. AJ's funeral services were held at Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Elyria.
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