NC hunter using coyote caller is shot with AR-15 by man who thought he was a coyote

A North Carolina coyote hunter’s electronic coyote caller was apparently so convincing, he ended up being mistaken for a coyote and was shot and killed.

The victim, 26-year-old Michael Seth Marsh, was also the pastor of Russell Gap Baptist Church near Taylorsville. The shooter, 31-year-old Matthew Dunn of Taylorsville, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, said the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened about 6 p.m. Monday, in a wooded area outside Taylorsville, 60 miles northwest of Charlotte.

Investigators say Marsh was armed with a shotgun, wearing camouflage and using an electronic coyote caller when he set up on the ground near a tree, according to the Taylorsville Times. Dunn, who lives in the area, told deputies that he heard coyotes screaming and believed they had trapped something in a tree, the Times reported.

He went to investigate and thought he saw something “brown and gray” that looked like a coyote, media outlets report. Dunn fired two shots with an AR-15, striking Marsh twice in the chest. Marsh then stood up and yelled “stop shooting, you hit me,” according to the Observer’s news partner WBTV.

After Dunn realized what had happened, he called 911 and rendered first aid, telling Marsh to “hold on and keep breathing,” WBTV reported.

Marsh died two hours later at a local hospital, reported the Associated Press.

Deputies said Marsh, a husband and father of two young children, was using the coyote caller in an attempt to bring coyotes closer to him. Marsh had a hunting license, media outlets report, and photos on his Facebook page show he enjoyed both fishing and hunting.

Investigators believe the shooting was an accident, but a district attorney will make that final decision, WBTV reported. Dunn was placed under a $75,000 secured bond and his first court appearance is Monday at the Alexander Country District Court.

Mark Price: 704-358-5245, @markprice_obs

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 1:57 PM with the headline "NC hunter using coyote caller is shot with AR-15 by man who thought he was a coyote."