Camel
Member
Halloween prank leads to shooting
Associated Press
November 2, 2003
CEDAR LAKE, Ind. -- An off-duty police officer who dressed up as an ax-wielding man in what he intended to be a Halloween prank was shot and wounded by a man who believed he posed a threat, investigators said.
The shooter fired at Rick Conoway as the St. John police officer emerged from a wooded area and approached a Halloween night bonfire party outside a home, Lake County Sheriff's spokesman Michael Higgins said.
Conoway was taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition with two gunshot wounds to the face.
Sheriff's authorities, who were still investigating the shooting today, gave this account:
Daniel Frederick, of Cedar Lake, arrived at the party and was told by people there that police were looking for a man in a gray sweathshirt who was wearing a white mask and carrying an ax. They also said he had been seen running after children in the neighborhood.
Frederick then returned to his nearby home and picked up a .32 caliber handgun. An hour later, he returned to the party with the gun.
Partygoers heard dogs barking and saw a man in the woods matching the description of the supposed ax-wielding man, who was actually Conoway playing a joke at the party.
Frederick yelled at the man that he had a gun, and then fired two rounds into the ground as Conoway approached the partygoers.
When Conoway continued approaching and got to within 10 feet, Frederick shot him twice in the face, investigators said.
I cant believe someone trusts that moron with a gun and a badge.
Rule #5: When the guns come out the joke is over.