Thomas Grant Shoots Cousin Dressed As Skunk, Gets Probation

A Pennsylvania man who shot his young cousin in the shoulder after
confusing her for a skunk will get probation.

Thomas Grant, 24, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of assault
and reckless endangerment on Monday. He also admitted shooting his
9-year-old cousin at a Halloween party on Oct. 20, 2012.

Grant said he thought the girl, who was wearing a black costume with a
white tail, was a skunk, WPXI-TV reported.

A judge ruled in February that prosecutors could not proceed with the
most serious charge of aggravated assault, according to WTAE-TV.

Grant will serve a two-year probation and pay restitution to the
victim’s family. His hunting privileges have also been revoked during
his probation, the Beaver County Times reported.

The incident occurred during a hide-and-seek game at a Halloween party.
The victim, who was in a black costume with a white feather or tassel on
her hat, was lying face down and motionless when Grant shot her,
thinking she was a skunk.

Grant's mother later told officers that she had seen a skunk earlier in
the event and asked him to shoot it.

"He is extremely devastated by the actions that took place. I mean, it's
a tragic incident that occurred," Police Chief Ronald Leindecker said
after the shooting, according to the New York Daily News. "It's not
something that he dreamed would ever happen."

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Hunting privileges temporarily revoked? This bozo shouldn't be allowed
anywhere near a firearm for the rest of his life. I wonder if he is an
NRA member.

And his mother wanted him to shoot a skunk she saw earlier in the day?
Stupid doesn't fall far from the tree in that family.