Dick Cheney hunting accident

Shooting of Harry Whittington
LocationRiviera, Texas, U.S.
DateFebruary 11, 2006; 18 years ago (2006-02-11)
Attack type
Accidental shooting
Weapon28-gauge Perazzi shotgun
VictimHarry Whittington (survived)
PerpetratorDick Cheney

On February 11, 2006, then-United States vice president Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a then-78-year-old Texas attorney, with a 28-gauge Perazzi shotgun[1][2] while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Riviera, Texas.[3] Both Cheney and Whittington called the event an accident.

The incident was reported to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on February 12, 2006, by ranch owner Katherine Armstrong.[4] The Bush administration disclosed the shooting incident to the public the afternoon of February 12. Local authorities released a report on the shooting on February 16, 2006, and witness statements on February 22.

On February 14, 2006, Whittington suffered a non-fatal heart attack and atrial fibrillation due to at least one lead shot lodged in or near his heart.[5] He also had a collapsed lung. Cheney did not speak publicly about the incident until February 15 in an interview with Fox News. Early reports indicated that Cheney and Whittington were friends and that the injuries were minor. Whittington later clarified that he and Cheney were not close friends but acquaintances.[6]

  1. ^ "See Dick. Run!". February 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Urbina, Ian (February 19, 2006). "What Dick Cheney Taught Us about Hunting Last Week". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  3. ^ "Texas Cops Release Cheney Shooting Report", The Smoking Gun
  4. ^ Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunting Accident and Incident Report Form, February 13, 2006, posted in The Smoking Gun. URL Accessed on February 14, 2006.
  5. ^ "Shotgun Victim Has Minor Heart Attack / Pellet Shot by Cheney Moves to Heart". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 15, 2006. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015.
  6. ^ Farhi, Paul (October 14, 2010). "Since Dick Cheney shot him, Harry Whittington's aim has been to move on". The Washington Post.