Zackary Kempke, a 14-year-old Caucasian male, was enjoying a Sunday afternoon drive with his parents and sister on September 23, 2018. The family was in a remote area of the Monte Cristo range, between Woodruff and Huntsville, Utah, taking in the fall colors and capturing family photos to send to his older brother. Young Zackary was seated in the back of their vehicle, a Jeep, as they traveled along a dirt road.
The scenic drive took a tragic turn when a bullet pierced the vehicle and struck Zackary in the head, killing him instantly.
The fatal shot was fired by a woman who was target shooting with her family several hundred feet away. Kayleen Richins, 40, of Roy, was sighting in a hunting rifle, using a paper target on a cardboard box. A dense forest stood between her position and the road where the Kempke family was driving, obscuring her view. Unaware of the road's presence, Richins fired the rifle. The bullet traveled through the trees and struck Zackary. The shooting was determined to be accidental.
Kayleen Richins was charged with negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor. Prosecutors noted that she had failed to properly investigate what was downrange of her target before firing. Richins pleaded guilty and expressed deep remorse for her actions. A judge sentenced her to two years of probation, a $2,500 fine, and 480 hours of community service. As part of her sentence, Richins was ordered to create an educational video and speak to youth hunter safety groups about the critical importance of knowing your backstop before shooting. She has since continued to share her story with young hunters, even after fulfilling her court-ordered obligations, to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.
