First public news of the incident was called in to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on February 12, 2006, by ranch owner Katharine Armstrong. [1] The Bush administration disclosed the shooting incident to the public the afternoon of February 12. Local authorities released a report on the shooting on February 16, 2006 and witness statements on February 22. All of the witness statements conflict with the Sheriff's reports over the time of the shooting. (see 'Time of Shooting' below).
The shooting is widely reported to have taken place on Saturday February 11, 2006, based on the public statements of Katharine Armstrong, owner of the 50,000-acre (200 km2) Armstrong Ranch. Armstrong in her written statement to the Sheriff said the shooting happened on February 12 (a Sunday).
Harry Whittington, in his only public statement [3] and apparently reading from written notes, said that "accidents do and will happen – and that’s what happened last Friday" February 10. Whittington has not made another statement or issued a written statement about the shooting.
Dick Cheney in his only public statement on the shooting did not say what day or time the shooting happened.
In the Sheriff's report of Cheney's statement, a February 11 'incident' is described, but Cheney does not actually describe having shot Whittington.
Witness statements to the Sheriff made by Williford, Hixon, Gerado Medellin and Hubert explicitly state that the shooting happened on February 11th.
Time of shooting
Mary Matalin[4] stated on 'Meet the Press' that 'Somebody had talked to some ranch hand...'. Neither the Sheriff's report nor witness statements identify who this first reporter was.
The Secret Service is [5] reported to have said they gave notice to the Sheriff about one hour after the shooting. Kennedy County Sheriff Ramone Salinas III [6] states he first heard of the shooting at about 5:30 p.m. from Captain Charles Kirk, and Salinas implies that he received 'official' notice from the Secret Service at about 5:40 p.m., which would put the time of the shooting no later than about 4:40 p.m.
The time of the shooting was not stated by Cheney. [7] The other members of the hunting party put the time variously between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. [8]
Cheney states that Whittington was standing on low ground and that the sun was directly behind Whittington, which would put the time of the shooting close to sunset at 6:19 p.m.
The events
Cheney had a televised interview [7] about the shooting on February 15. On February 22, the Sheriff's office released statements from Katherine Armstrong, Sarita Armstrong, Williford, Oscar Medellin, Gerado Medellin and Andrew Hubert. [9] Cheney’s statement and all six of the other hunting party members' statements specify that:
Cheney, Whittington and Williford had first together shot birds in a covey
While Whittington was searching for a downed bird, Cheney, Williford and an 'Outrider' (Guide) walked towards another covey about 100 yards (100 m) away
Whittington, without announcing himself, approached to within 30 or 40 yards (40 m) of the shooters
A single bird flew up, around and behind Cheney in the direction of Whittington
Cheney shot at the bird and struck Whittington
The shooting occurred somewhere around 5:30 or 6 p.m.
Armstrong, the ranch owner, claimed that all in the hunting party were wearing blaze-orange safety gear and none had been drinking [10], and that at lunch they drank Dr Pepper, [11] which contradicts her later statement that "there may (have been) a beer or two in there [the coolers at lunch], but remember not everyone in the party was shooting." [12] Cheney has acknowledged that he had one beer four or five hours prior to the shooting. Shortly after the incident, Cheney prepared himself a cocktail. [13] Armstrong did not actually see the incident happen, believing that the reason Cheney's security detail was running was that Cheney had a heart problem, [12] although Cheney described her as an eyewitness in his Fox interview. [7]
Secret Service agents and medical aides, who were traveling with Cheney, came to Whittington's assistance and treated his birdshot wounds to his right cheek, neck, and chest. An ambulance standing nearby for the Vice President took Whittington to nearby Kingsville before he was flown by helicopter to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi.
Oscar Medellin (outrider, between Cheney and Willeford, flushed the troublesome bird) [6]
A 'Secret Service personnel' was reported to be with the two shooters and Oscar Medellin
In a car at an unstated distance away from the shooting:
Katharine Armstrong, owner of the ranch
Sara Storey Armstrong Hixon, Armstrong’s sister
Andrew Hubert was at an unstated place near the incident.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report
On February 13, 2006, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (an agency once headed by Armstrong) [14] issued an incident report. [1] According to the report, the shooter (Cheney) "was swinging on game," that is to say, turning to track it with his gun. The summary of the incident given was:
"Whittington downed a bird and went to retrieve it. While he was out of the hunting line, another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest."
The report cited clear and sunny weather at the time of the shooting.
Whittington injury
File:HWhittington.jpgHarry Whittington speaks at press conference after being discharged from the hospital
Whittington was injured in the face, neck, and upper torso. Whittington was reported to be in stable condition at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial and had been moved from intensive care to a "step-down unit" on Monday. Doctors had decided to leave up to 200 pieces of birdshot pellets lodged in his body rather than try to remove them. Each pellet is less than a tenth of an inch (2.5 mm) in diameter. Because of their small size, it is hard to pinpoint the precise location of each pellet with medical imaging.
On February 14, 2006, at 6:30am, Whittington suffered a minor heart attack and atrial fibrillation due to the shot pellets lodged in or near his heart.[2] He was immediately moved back to the intensive care unit. At about 9 a.m., Whittingon underwent a cardiac catheterization test to detect blocked or leaky arteries. A thin tube was inserted from Whittington's groin up into the arteries near his heart. The doctors injected a dye to monitor his blood flow patterns and closely examine the interior of the heart. From the test, doctors found a single lead pellet. [15][16]
Hospital officials said Whittington was alert and stable[17] and that he did not experience chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack. [15] Doctors reported signs of inflammation, and Whittington was treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. [18]
Whittington was subsequently discharged from the hospital on February 17, 2006. At a press conference he said: "My family and I are deeply sorry for everything Vice President Cheney and his family have had to deal with. We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves."
Information release
Though the shooting occurred on Saturday, February 11, news of it was not released until after 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 12. Kathryn Garcia, a reporter for the Corpus ChristiCaller-Times, broke the story at 1:48 p.m. after receiving an 11 a.m. call from Katharine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred. Armstrong had notified Cheney earlier in the morning that she was going to inform the news media about the incident. She said Cheney agreed. [19] Armstrong said that Whittington did not announce his location, and this led to the incident. [15]
According to White House Press secretary Scott McClellan, news at the White House about the shooting "... was coming into people back here, all the way at 3:00 a.m. in the morning [Sunday] and beyond." [20] McClellan would not state when the President first learned that Cheney had shot Whittington. When McClellan was asked if Andy Card had told Karl Rove that Cheney was the shooter, McClellen said: "... we still didn't have all the details at that point and additional details were coming into Andy Card at even 3:00 a.m. in the morning and beyond."
The White House did not disclose the accident until a press conference on Sunday afternoon. McClellan said he did not know that Cheney had shot someone until that Sunday morning. He remarked that he did ask the Vice President's office to release the information earlier. He said: "I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job."[19]
On the Fox News interview, Cheney accepted full responsibility for the accident.
Cheney acknowledged that White House Counselor Dan Bartlett and Scott McClellan "urged us to get the story out", but Cheney said he was more concerned about accuracy and felt that Armstrong was the best person to make the announcement. [21]
Investigation
Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said that about an hour after Whittington was shot, the head of the Secret Service's local office called the Kenedy County sheriff to report the accident. [5] Kenedy County Sheriff Ramon Salinas III receiving a call of 'official' notice from the Secret Service 8-10 minutes after a Saturday, February 11 5:30 p.m. phone call from Captain Charles Kirk. [6]
Kirk had called Salinas while en route to the Armstrong Ranch to investigate a possible hunting accident. The ensuing official investigation was performed by the Kenedy County Sheriff's department and published in an Incident Report [6] written by Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr, a Supplement Report [6] written by Salinas and several witness statements. [6]
After Salinas finished his call with the Secret Service, Kirk called Salinas a second time to report that he couldn't get any information about the shooting at the Armstrong gate. Salinas told Kirk: "that it was fine and I [Salinas] would contact someone at the Ranch". Multiple news sources reported that local law enforcement officers were initially barred by United States Secret Service agents from interviewing Cheney. [22][23]
After dismissing Kirk, Salinas called a Constable Ramiro Medellin Jr to ask for information about the accident. None of the police reports say why Salinas thought to call Medellin, or where Salinas thought Medellin was. In that first call to Medellin, Salinas reports Medellin saying only that he would call Salinas back. Medellin called Salinas back and said that "This is in fact a hunting accident" and that he [Medellin] had spoken with some of the people in the hunting party who were eyewitnesses and that they all said that it was definitely a hunting accident. Salinas says he [Salinas] also spoke with another [unnamed] eyewitness and he[the witness] said the same thing, that it was an accident. Salinas states in his report: "After hearing the same information from eyewitness and Constable Medellin, it was at this time I decided to send my Chief Deputy first thing Sunday morning to interview the Vice-President and other witnesses."
On Sunday morning, Kenedy County Chief Deputy Gilbert San Miguel Jr. interviewed Cheney and other members of the hunting party. He said that Cheney characterized the incident as a "hunting accident".
On Monday, Miguel and Lt Juan J Guzman went to Spohn Memorial Hospital to interview Whittington. [6] Whittington requested not to be recorded 'due to his voice being raspy', but agreed to supply a written affidavit as soon as he returned home to his office. Whittington characterized the incident as an accident and said no alcohol was involved and that everyone was wearing proper hunting attire. Whittington described shooting at the first covey of quails, searching for a bird, then being sent by Katharine [Armstrong] to shoot the second covey. At that point, "a nurse came into the room and asked Guzman and Salinas to hurry up so Whitington could rest". The officers then left telling Whittington "I [Miguel] would give him a call in a few days to get the written affidavit". There is no public record of the promised affidavit being taken or released.
The Kenedy County Sheriff, Ramon Salinas III, has since cleared Cheney of any criminal wrongdoing in the matter [6]
Bush appointed Katharine Armstrong a commission member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. [24] Steve Hall, education director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said that the department would classify the shooting as an error in judgment by Cheney.
The news of the shooting wasn't released to the press for 21 hours until 1:48 p.m. (07:48) Sunday, February 12. Kathryn Garcia, a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, broke the story after receiving a call from Armstrong at 11am, after confirming it with the White House and hospital.
A top Republican close to the White House said to Time magazine, "This is either a cover-up story or an incompetence story." [25]
Hunting safety
In an Associated Press report, hunting safety experts said that it is the shooter's responsibility to assess the surroundings and situation to ensure that it is safe to shoot. [19] The owner of the ranch, however, stated that Whittington should have announced the fact that he had yet to return from retrieving his quail to the Vice-President.
According to Texas state Parks and Wildlife Department, in 2005 there were 30 accidents and two hunting deaths in Texas. At the national level, according to the International Hunter Education Association, there were 744 shooting accidents with 74 deaths in 2002. [19]
Controversial points
Questions have been raised regarding the shooting, even as Kenedy County Sheriff's Office documents support the official story by Cheney and his party. [26]
Recreations of the incident were enacted by George Gongora, a photographer for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times[27]. Also a hunter re-created it according to the Whidbey News-Times. The single best simulation using many different targets and distances is here. All tests seemed to prove that the distance was much closer than the 90 feet (27 m) claimed. Many familiar with quail hunting have also argued that the range was closer, [28] while others, such as forensic expert Jon Nordby, confirm the plausibility of the official reports. [29]
The time of the shooting was estimated by Cheney and the other members of the hunting party to be variously between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. [7]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Kirk had heard of the shooting prior to that phone call. In Salinas's statement, Salinas says he received official notice from the Secret Service 8-10 minutes after the 5:30 p.m. phone call. The Secret Service is reported to have said that they gave notice to the Sheriff about 1 hour after the shooting, which would put the time of the shooting at approximately 4:40 p.m., 60-90 minutes before the entire hunting party's recollection.
Cheney himself has been hit by an accidental shotgun blast in the late 1990s.[30] This was the second time in history that a sitting U.S. Vice President had shot a person, the first being the incident in which Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton during a duel.
The incident has been the subject of jokes, satire and public ridicule. [31] A number of these made reference to other controversies involving Cheney.
David Letterman began his Monday show on February 13 with "Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction.... It's Dick Cheney," and adding that "We can't get bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney."[32] His Top 10 list was devoted to "Dick Cheney's excuses" and included "he thought the guy was trying to go gay cowboy on me".
Jay Leno also had a piece on The Tonight Show in which he pretended to host a game show with footage of George W. Bush and Pervez Musharraf that was taken during Bush's visit to Pakistan. Towards the end of that segment, the sound of loud bird calls were played, and Leno asked Cheney to take care of the problem, with footage of the Vice President shooting a gun then shown.
Yakov Smirnoff talked about Dick Cheney's mishap in a routine, saying, "I like the guy. I just wish he'd take Hillary hunting!"
Craig Ferguson opened his show on the Monday after the accident with his usual "great day for America" line, and said that if you don't like it, "I'll shoot you in the face."
Texas Monthly won the 2007 Best Cover Line of the Year Award from the Magazine Publishers of America for its January 2007 cover mocking the Vice President.File:Tmdc.jpg
Jon Stewart popularised the phrase "Cheney's Got a Gun" on The Daily Show soon after the event. Stewart and the Daily Show's correspondents repeatedly accentuated their disbelief of the absurdity of a sitting vice president shooting a 78-year-old man in the face while hunting quail which are raised in a pen and released mere seconds before they are shot. Stewart, for instance, pointed out that Whittington had been the first person to be shot by a sitting vice president since Alexander Hamilton, and that while Aaron Burr's fatal shooting of Hamilton was during a duel over issues of honor and political maneuvering; Whittington "was mistaken for a bird." Correspondent Ed Helms, reporting supposedly from Corpus Christi Hospital, said that Whittington's condition had been upgraded from "stable" to "stable, but still shot in the face by Dick Cheney." "Cheney's Got a Gun" is a play on the 1989 Aerosmith song "Janie's Got a Gun"; in the aftermath of the incident, several parody versions of the original song and music video were released, replacing "Janie" with "Cheney."
On his first show after the incident, Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report, confessed to having been involved in a hunting accident of his own over the weekend, then proceeded to show an edited version of Brit Hume's interview with Dick Cheney, featuring Colbert in place of Cheney with far more humorous responses to Hume's question. Colbert later mentioned the hunting incident in his now famous speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
The Open Season medal awarded in Halo 3 Multiplayer for killing 10 opponents in a row with the shotgun without dying was called Cheneymania earlier in development.
The incident has been parodied twice in the comedy Family Guy:
In the season 4 episode "Petergeist", he shoots Peter at point-blank range several times while hunting, and after says "I'm sorry, I thought you were a deer"
In the season 5 episode "Boys Do Cry", Cheney guards the president's house with a shotgun, and while sleeping says "18% approval ratings... I'll give you 18% of my foot in your ass" in reference to the drop in approval ratings to 18% which followed the shooting.
In an episode of Mind of Mencia, Carlos Mencia was singing the dee dee dee song, while warning people about hunting, he showed a picture of him getting shot by Dick Cheney.
A character in the anime series Hayate the Combat Butler, Tama, who is a white tiger, was "shot" and left a dying message reading Cheney's name.
Political use of the incident
On July 12, 2006, Russian president Vladimir Putin used the incident to reject Cheney's criticism of human rights violations in Russia, calling the criticism "a failed hunting shot" [33].
Florida Governor Jeb Bush said when he received a bright orange Farm Bureau sticker: "I'm a little concerned that Dick Cheney is going to walk in." [34]
United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who was once the victim of Cheney's obscenity on the floor of the Senate, said: "In retrospect, it looks like I got off easy." [35]
Before the news on Whittington's heart attack became known on 14 February, White House Press SecretaryScott McClellan was referring to President Bush's meeting with the University of Texas championship football team when he said "The orange that they're wearing is not because they're concerned that the vice president may be there." However he pointed to his own orange-striped tie and added that "Although that's why I'm wearing it." [35][36]
According to Hardball with Chris Matthews on February 28, 2006, the hunting incident caused Dick Cheney's approval rating to drop to 18%.
The Democrats included the anniversary of this day in their 2007 Calendar for the House of Representatives. The item reads simply, "Cheney hunting accident (2006)." [37]
