Teenage Paintballer Shot Dead by Farmer

A teen paintballer was shot dead by an Indiana farmer who thought he was picking off a coyote. Brandon Spangler, 17, was struck as he was unloading paintball gear from a car with his three brothers and dad, whom he was visiting from Michigan for the holidays, police said. A farmer opened fire with a hunting rifle when he heard rustling, believing it was a pack of coyotes, according to authorities.

Brandon collapsed and was declared dead at the scene, reports the New York Daily News. The farmer had given the family permission to use the land for a paintball outing, but didn't know they had arrived. "Everybody’s going to miss" Brandon, his sister told the Flint Journal. "He was an outstanding person." Investigators are still considering whether to press charges in the case. (More death stories.)