A proposal at the Capitol would require hunters who injure someone with a dangerous weapon to help that person.
The legislation was inspired by the death of Seth Hammes, who was making a video in a wooded area near La Crosse when he was fatally shot. Russell Schroeder was caught after police found Hammes' video camera, which recorded the fall 2005 shooting. It also showed Schroeder promising he'd go for help, which he did not do. Instead, police found him at work after he'd gone home, gone to a party, and then gone to work. Schroeder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for reckless homicide.
Ann Lounsborugh, Hammes' aunt, says Schroeder should have also been punished for not helping her nephew. She says leaving him alone in the woods to die should be treated the same way the law punishes people who flee the scene of a car accident. The bill awaiting action at the Capitol would do that.
The proposal was approved by a legislative committee on Tuesday and now goes to the full Assembly.
