What was the real story behind the shooting "wisky bottle shooting" after a good day of drinking? Does the VP take part in the bottle? Why else would you leave a gap in reporting a shooting or not let the police investigate until12 to 18 hrs later. Sort of like when Kennedy drove his car off a bridge and went home so he could sober up. -------------- Original message from Wirt Atmar <[log in to unmask]>: -------------- > Hunter shot by Cheney has heart attack > LYNN BREZOSKY and NEDRA PICKLER > Associated Press > > CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President > Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot lodged in his heart and > he had "a minor heart attack" Tuesday morning, hospital officials said. > > The victim, Harry Whittington, was immediately moved back to the intensive > care unit for further treatment, said Peter Banko, the administrator at Christus > Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial in Texas. > > Banko said there was an irregularity in the heartbeat caused by a pellet, and > doctors performed a cardiac catheterization. Whittington expressed a desire > to leave the hospital, but Banko said he would probably stay for another week > to make sure more shot doesn't move to other organs or to other part of his > body. > > "Some of the birdshot appears to have moved and lodged into part of his heart > in what we would say is a minor heart attack," Banko said in a news > conference outside the hospital. > > David Blanchard, chief of emergency care, called it "a silent heart attack, > an asymptomatic heart attack. He's not had a heart attack in the traditional > sense." > > The doctors said Whittington did not experience symptoms of a heart attack or > any other problems. They left the birdshot in place and said he could live a > healthy life with it there. > > White House physicians who attended to Whittington at the scene after Cheney > accidentally shot him were involved in the treatment, the officials said. > > Whittington had initially been placed in intensive care after the accident > Saturday evening. He had been moved to a "step-down unit" Monday after doctors > decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to > remove them. > > A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report issued Monday said Whittington > was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing > with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, > striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," > the report said. > > The department found the main factor contributing to the accident was a > "hunter's judgment factor." No other secondary factors were found to have played > a > role. > > The department gave Cheney and Whittington warning citations for breaking > Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing them to shoot upland > game > birds. A department spokesman said warnings are being issued in most cases > because the stamp requirement only went into effect five months ago and many > hunters weren't aware of it. > > Cheney's office said Monday night in a statement that Cheney had a $125 > nonresident hunting license and has sent a $7 check to cover the cost of the > stamp. > "The staff asked for all permits needed, but was not informed of the $7 > upland game bird stamp requirement," the statement said. > > Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not said anything publicly about the > accident. It was fodder for jokes on late night TV and early Tuesday at the > White > House, before news surfaced about problems with Whittington's heart. > > Hospital officials said they notified the White House of the change in > Whittington's condition late in the morning. The mood of press secretary Scott > McClellan was much more serious in an afternoon press briefing shortly before > the > hospital publicly updated Whittington's condition. > > Katharine Armstrong, owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred, said > Whittington made a mistake by not announcing that he had walked up to rejoin the > hunting line after going to retrieve his bird, and Cheney didn't see him as he > tried to down a bird. > > The accident raised questions about Cheney's adherence to hunting safety > practices and the White House's failure to disclose the accident in a timely > way. > > Several hunting safety experts agreed in interviews that it would have been a > good idea for Whittington to announce himself. But every expert stressed that > the shooter is responsible for avoiding other people. > > Bush was told about Cheney's involvement in the accident shortly before 8 > p.m. Saturday - about an hour after it occurred - but the White House did not > disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press > questions. > > ON THE NET > > White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov > > ========================================= > > * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, * > * etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html * * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, * * etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *