On November 5, 2011, Peter J. Kolofsky, a 46-year-old Caucasian male from Sebago, Maine, was fatally shot while deer hunting in the woods near his home. A husband and father of two, Kolofsky was an experienced outdoorsman and was wearing a blaze orange vest at the time of the incident. He was remembered by friends and neighbors as a hardworking logger, carpenter, and commercial fisherman who was generous and dedicated to his family.
The shooting was determined to be a hunting accident.
William Briggs, a 61-year-old hunter from Windham who was not in Kolofsky's hunting party, fired his weapon after he reportedly saw movement and what he believed to be antlers in a brushy area. Tragically, he had mistaken Kolofsky for a deer. Realizing his mistake, Briggs immediately rushed to Kolofsky's side and called for help, but Kolofsky was pronounced dead at the scene from a single gunshot wound.
The Maine Warden Service investigated the incident, characterizing it as a clear case of failing to properly identify a target. Although there was no indication that Briggs was impaired, he was indicted on a manslaughter charge in February 2012. Briggs, who had no prior criminal history and was described as distraught over the event, later pleaded guilty. In May 2012, he was sentenced to three years in prison with all but 45 days suspended, followed by four years of probation which included 500 hours of community service related to hunting safety. During the sentencing, Peter Kolofsky's widow expressed a sentiment of forgiveness towards Briggs.
