A Pennsylvania man has been charged and is heading to prison after shooting his neighbor after an egregious misjudgment in the field. According to reports, Michael Lloyd, 41, of College Township was on his way home from a hunting trip in late 2021 when he stopped at a neighbor’s place after spotting something in the field.
Drawing on his trusty .45 handgun, he began firing at the deer but instead hit an elderly 83-year-old man who was in the brush behind the deer. It was reported that once Lloyd was aware that he had shot the man, he rushed to his side and immediately began to administer aid.
It was determined that Lloyd was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident, it was just an incredibly poor judgment call.
The unfortunate reality of the incident is that the elderly man who was shot has not returned to his former self. His wife reports that since the shooting, her husband has been “a shell of the man” he once was. It was said that prior to the shooting, the 83-year-old was a “competitive weightlifter, cyclist and hiked Mount Nittany” several times per week. Now, though, it said the man said he has to wear glasses, hearing aids, is on blood thinners and struggles with hallucinations.
Lloyd is scheduled to serve at least three months and as long as 23 ½ months in the Centre County Correctional Facility.
His hunting license was revoked for five years, and he was ordered to pay $29,000 in restitution, according to reports. That total could increase if the 83-year-old man that Lloyd shot has to receive additional treatments.
