9-year-old boy fatally shot in Wise County hunting accident

A 9-year-old Decatur boy was killed while pheasant hunting Saturday when his grandfather accidentally shot him, according to authorities.

Callen Little was shot at about 10 a.m. Saturday, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said.

They were hunting at the family’s Nine Bar Ranch on County Road 4010 east of Decatur, Walker said.

The private 12,000-acre ranch is owned by the Waggoner-Sauder family and offers exotic hunts including pheasant, according to its website.

The boy was shot when, unbeknownst to his grandfather, he stepped out of the hunting blind as the grandfather aimed his shotgun at a pheasant and fired, Walker told the Wise County Messenger.

Criminal investigators from the Sheriff’s Department and emergency responders found Callen shot once, according to authorities. He was taken to Wise Regional Health System, where he was later pronounced dead.

“It’s a tragic deal, and it’s still under investigation,” Walker said.

A gofundme account created to help his parents with financial assistance had raised over $31,100 in just one day.

His autopsy is pending at the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.

Once the Sheriff’s Department receives it, officials there will turn their investigation over to the Wise County district attorney’s office for review.

This story was originally published June 16, 2015 at 1:44 PM with the headline "9-year-old boy fatally shot in Wise County hunting accident."