Elizabeth man charged in fatal hunting accident
A man from Elizabeth was arrested in Colorado after he accidentally shot and killed a man while hunting.
The Dolores County Sheriff’s Department charged Ronald J. Morosko, 67, with criminally negligent homicide, a felony.
Morosko shot Gregory Gabrisch, 31, of Houston, Texas.
According to the sheriff’s department, Morosko was hunting last week in San Juan National Forest with another hunter from Pennsylvania. They were attempting to lure out elk, according to an affidavit. Morosko fired his gun at what he thought was an elk, court documents state. He then saw that he had shot an archery hunter, according to the affidavit.
Morosko and his hunting partner left the scene to get help, according to the affidavit, which noted that Morosko fell “below the standard of care by failing to properly identify his target.”
Morosko told authorities that Gabrisch was wearing dark-brown camouflage and not fluorescent orange; however, bow hunters are not required to wear fluorescent orange in Colorado.
According to the Durango Herald, Morosko was released from jail after posting $10,000 bond.