A Louisiana hunting trip turned tragic when a father described as having a “heart of gold” was accidentally shot and killed last month.
Garret Verdun, 45, died when a hunting rifle accidentally discharged as he and his hunting partner were walking to their hunting spots in Lafourche Parish around 4 p.m. on Nov. 29, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said in a news release.
Verdun’s partner told LDWF the two had just crossed a cattle guard when Verdun passed him the rifle and it went off. The .308-caliber round struck Verdun, killing him before first responders arrived, officials said.
His body was turned over to the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office. LDWF is assisting the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
TEXAS FATHER DIES IN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING ON HUNTING TRIP, DAUGHTER SAYS FAMILY IS ‘HEARTBROKEN’
Verdun is survived by his 19-year-old daughter Chloe, his son Ethan, and his fiancée Tiffany Hunter.
Chloe paid tribute to her father on Facebook, writing, “I wish more than anything I wouldn’t be making this post, but I’m so blessed to have shared 19 years with you. I love you forever, Dad, and always will.”
She added: “You will forever be my role model and favorite person. Until we meet again, forever will be your love bug.”
An online obituary remembered Verdun as a man with a “heart of gold” who was “ready to lend a hand or offer a comforting word,” noting that “his life, though too short, was rich with deep relationships and a boundless capacity for love.”
YOUNG HUNTERS IN COLORADO DIED IN ‘INSTANT,’ CORONER REVEALS
It said his greatest joy came from time spent with his children, fiancée and family.
“Garret was an avid outdoorsman at heart,” the obituary continued. “He was gifted with hands of a craftsman and enjoyed carpentry and building things. Above all else, his family was his passion, always putting them first. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
The family asks that those wishing to honor Verdun to donate in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project rather than send flowers.
LDWF reminded hunters to keep firearms unloaded and safeties engaged while traveling to and from their hunting locations.
