He thought he saw a deer and fired his pistol. Now his neighbor is dead.

Officials said the shooting occurred less than an hour after sunset, at a time when it’s illegal to hunt, according to the Associated Press.

It didn't mention who owned the property she was on or Public or private.

In my state it is illegal to shoot on or over a road right of way and to shoot across a fence line. Maybe his shot went over his fence into another field.

When I first read the story I thought to myself, this is a big red flag, a fatal pistol shot from 200yds, really? Then i figured that since the guy couldn't see the target clearly, I mean mistaking a human for a deer, perhaps he could not estimate target distance either. It was here that I started to think that either the guy tried to make advances toward this woman or something like that which resulted in him having to shut her up or he is truly stupid. Either way, this is a homicide, the moment he pointed that gun downrange at a human and considered pulling the trigger.

It does seem more fishy than coincidental to me.

originally posted by: silo13
a reply to: seattlerat

Anyone who takes a 200 yard shot with a pistol?

That's not a hunter.

Even if using a Thompson Contender Unit with a .223 barrel.

Something's funky fishy about this.

Or just plain stupid.

Edit to add:

From article: 'Sheriff Joe Gerace told the Buffalo News that Jadlowski used a single-shot handgun permissible for deer hunting.'

So a black powder/muzzleloader pistol? 200 yards?

He's either too stupid to wipe his own arse without dirtying his hands - or there's something so wrong with this.

Then again - it just could be an example of 'pure stoopid'.

originally posted by: seattlerat
Firstly, this is sad for the husband who lost his beloved wife. Secondly, the shooter is an idiot (period). I've seen a lot of posts about firearms, right to carry, self-protection, and hunting lately, so I'm curious what my fellow ATS members think about this.
Washington Post SOURCE

Wednesday was a typical afternoon but an exciting one — Thanksgiving was the next day, and Jamie Billquist and his wife, Rosemary, would partake in one of their favorite traditions: the Turkey Trot. Rosemary Billquist, 43, got home from work about 5 p.m., and left shortly after to walk the couple’s dogs, Stella and Sugar, near the field behind their Sherman, N.Y., house. Jamie Billquist, 47, stayed at home, watching television. A little while later, the dogs came racing to the back of the house, barking loudly. Jamie Billquist panicked. He called Rosemary’s cellphone, but she didn’t pick up. “I thought, ‘Something might’ve happened to Rosemary,’ ” he said. “Maybe she fell.” As he put his phone down, ambulances showed up outside the house. An EMT who is a friend of Jamie Billquist’s rushed to the field, saying someone had been shot. Moments later, he learned that it was his wife. A neighbor, Thomas B. Jadlowski, thought he saw a deer in his back yard 200 yards away and fired a single shot. Then he heard a scream. Realizing he’d shot a person, he ran out to help, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office officials said in a news release.

Jadlowski, 34, called 911 and applied pressure to Rosemary Billquist’s wound until paramedics arrived, according to the sheriff’s office. The bullet had traveled through her hip and out her back, Jamie Billquist said. He rode with his wife to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center facility in Erie, Pa., where she was pronounced dead. “That’s it,” Billquist said with a heavy sigh. “My life has changed. Things are never going to be the same.”

Who shoots a deer with a pistol from 200 yards at night? Also, why would you be shooting at a random deer in your backyard anyway?

Something about this seems like some bull#.

originally posted by: JHumm
A 200 yard pistol shot from a non hunter is kind of a flag ,
200 yards a deer is pretty hard to see , I don't know what to say except that if he hasn't had a Hunter safty course and a license then he should be charged.
You don't shoot at something you think is a deer .

I have taken deer at 600 yards, but I was not using a pistol.
I have yet to see a deer that looks anything like a human. This person was either blind, hallucinating or criminally stupid.

originally posted by: seattlerat
Firstly, this is sad for the husband who lost his beloved wife. Secondly, the shooter is an idiot (period). I've seen a lot of posts about firearms, right to carry, self-protection, and hunting lately, so I'm curious what my fellow ATS members think about this.
Washington Post SOURCE

Wednesday was a typical afternoon but an exciting one — Thanksgiving was the next day, and Jamie Billquist and his wife, Rosemary, would partake in one of their favorite traditions: the Turkey Trot. Rosemary Billquist, 43, got home from work about 5 p.m., and left shortly after to walk the couple’s dogs, Stella and Sugar, near the field behind their Sherman, N.Y., house. Jamie Billquist, 47, stayed at home, watching television. A little while later, the dogs came racing to the back of the house, barking loudly. Jamie Billquist panicked. He called Rosemary’s cellphone, but she didn’t pick up. “I thought, ‘Something might’ve happened to Rosemary,’ ” he said. “Maybe she fell.” As he put his phone down, ambulances showed up outside the house. An EMT who is a friend of Jamie Billquist’s rushed to the field, saying someone had been shot. Moments later, he learned that it was his wife. A neighbor, Thomas B. Jadlowski, thought he saw a deer in his back yard 200 yards away and fired a single shot. Then he heard a scream. Realizing he’d shot a person, he ran out to help, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office officials said in a news release.

Jadlowski, 34, called 911 and applied pressure to Rosemary Billquist’s wound until paramedics arrived, according to the sheriff’s office. The bullet had traveled through her hip and out her back, Jamie Billquist said. He rode with his wife to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center facility in Erie, Pa., where she was pronounced dead. “That’s it,” Billquist said with a heavy sigh. “My life has changed. Things are never going to be the same.”

Fired a pistol at 200 yards and hit his target in one shot? That’s impressive

This is the kind of guy who enters a firing squad in a circle.


How one mistakes a deer for a person is problematic since they don't look alike in the least


He saw a disturbance and assumed it was a deer


Also, I feel deeply for the guy who has to live near the fool who killed his wife. He has to move

a reply to: Willtell

He saw a disturbance and assumed it was a deer

Or he was angry because their dogs were always barking and finally went mad!

- Illegally hunting
- Pointing a gun at something without first being sure of his target and what's behind it

Throw the book at this guy for Negligent Homicide or Reckless Murder at a minimum. Remove his right to own firearms, since he has by his own actions proven himself unable to responsibly exercise that right.

He should be incarcerated and owe everything he owns to the husband for the rest of his life.

Basic firearms safety rules that should never be violated:
1) All firearms are loaded
2) Finger off the trigger until a decision to fire is made
3) Never point a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy
4) Always be sure of your target and what's behind it

This was not "an accident". This was pure stupidity and negligence.

It is a tragedy for the family of the victim, and my heart goes out to them. The shooter is an idiot for not even following the most basic of gun safety rules.

You must always be 100% certain of your target as well as what is beyond your target

a reply to: Irishhaf

Yep,and never allowed to own any gun ever again. Man that's really stupid,sad for both families.

200 yards that's one hell of a pistol,A handgun bullet fired parallel to the ground will hit the ground within a couple hundred yards none the less homicide charges and kudos to the lady's husband for not retaliating.....

a reply to: seattlerat
Wow thats a really sad story.

And anybody who takes a shot at something they don't even know for sure what it is, should not have a gun in the first place, much less at 200 yards away, with a freaking pistol?

The dude is an idiot probably fired thinking it will hit air on whatever it was, and actually hit the lady by some sheer dumb bad luck, even in a clear field its not easy to spot, much less hit anything 200 yards away with a pistol. And with most other firearms meant for that sort of range and or projectile weapons, even that takes practice, lots of practice in most cases.

The story said he and ran out to help, so I got to give some gripe. But still, that's just #ing stupid. If you don't know what your aiming at, or see clearly, or know without a shadow of a doubt, then don't shoot. This is so bonkers wacky stupid, I can see why others may think something more is going on, like some crime mystery of hidden murder. But sometimes, in fact more often then not, really, really, stupid but fatal dumbassaries, just happens.

It's like driving a car and say I didn't see the bicyclist. Hey, I saw something moving and I shot it. Both led to the death of a person. Color your words with excuses, it is still "MURDER".

a reply to: galadofwarthethird

If you don't know what your aiming at, or see clearly, or know without a shadow of a doubt, then don't shoot.

Totally accurate

In fact it is one of the cardinal rules of gun safety: know your target and what is beyond it.

originally posted by: FyreByrd
a reply to: seattlerat

It wouldn't have happened - if gun owners were required to take and pass a safety test and had to renew their 'license' for time to time for each weapon owned. Just like the registration of a car and the license to drive a car requires.

Prove it.

a reply to: silo13

My condolences to the woman’s family.



I’d like to know how the hell he hit a target at 200 yards with a pistol ( a muzzle loader pistol no less). Pure luck er bad luck on her behalf. I would also like to know why anyone would want to hunt deer with a pistol.

Does anyone else consider this an incredibly difficult shot for a pistol? Especially considering he couldn’t even see the target well enough to decipher between a deer or a human.

a reply to: JBurns

Didn't Vice President Dick Cheney shoot his hunting buddy in the butt because he thought he was an animal?

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest

originally posted by: FyreByrd
a reply to: seattlerat

It wouldn't have happened - if gun owners were required to take and pass a safety test and had to renew their 'license' for time to time for each weapon owned. Just like the registration of a car and the license to drive a car requires.

That doesn't seem to prevent car accidents. Licensed or not, idiots will be idiots.

No but it does cut down on them. As do 'rules of the road' and minimum safety standards for vehicles.

You logic appears to be that If you can't prevent all deaths then why attempt to minimize them at all.

Why insist that Airplanes have routine maintenance.

Why have standards for anything.

It's a non-sense answer.

Thompson Contender. Any handful of cartridges could go that distance. It's got separate interchangeable barrels so you can fire many calibers with the same basic frame.

It's unfortunate, but his incident may put a dent in the interest in hunting expeditions for the blind.