54-year-old Taupo man shot dead in hunting accident

A 54-year-old Taupo hunter was shot and accidentally killed today while deer stalking with a friend in rugged country near Lake Taupo.

Police named the dead hunter as William Stanley Gillies.


Senior Constable Barry Shepherd, of Taupo police, said tonight that a companion of Gillies mistook him for a deer and shot him about 9am today.

The pair were hunting in the the Hauhungaroa Range, about 15km west of Lake Taupo.

The men had been in the area since Thursday.

Police were contacted by the dead man's companion, and retrieved his body from the rugged area by helicopter early this afternoon.

Mr Shepherd said officers had interviewed the dead man's companion, but had not yet charged the man.

"The outcome of the investigation will become clearer in a few days," Mr Shepherd said in a statement.

- NZPA