Pearl River Man Charged in Fatal Hunting Accident

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office has advised that Donald Jones, Jr. (22) of Pearl River, Louisiana has been charged with negligent homicide following a hunting accident that occurred Saturday morning (November 10, 2018) in the Honey Island Swamp in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area.

Jones and his friend, a 23-year-old Pearl River man, were hunting hogs in the Peach Lake area of the Honey Island Swamp Saturday morning. Jones told responding deputies he shot in the direction of a hog and accidentally shot his friend in the chest. Jones immediately called 911 but the area where the two men were hunting is only accessible by boat and therefore took emergency responders longer than normal to respond.

While he was on the phone with emergency personnel, Jones rendered aid and performed CPR on his friend until emergency personnel arrived. However, the victim succumbed to his injuries.

STPSO detectives learned Jones was aware his friend was not wearing “hunter’s orange” and he did not know his friend’s location when he fired his gun at the hog.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is also looking into possible violations.