Dick Cheney hunting accident
| Shooting of Harry Whittington | |
|---|---|
| Location | Riviera, Texas, U.S. |
| Date | February 11, 2006 |
Attack type | Accidental shooting |
| Weapon | 28-gauge Perazzi shotgun |
| Victim | Harry Whittington (survived) |
| Perpetrator | Dick Cheney |
On February 11, 2006, then-United States vice president Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a then-78-year-old Texas attorney, with a 28-gauge Perazzi shotgun while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Riviera, Texas. Both Cheney and Whittington called the event an accident.
The incident was reported to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on February 12, 2006, by ranch owner Katherine Armstrong. 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.
On February 14, 2006, Whittington suffered a non-fatal heart attack and atrial fibrillation due to at least one lead shot lodged in or near his heart. He also had a collapsed lung. Cheney did not speak publicly about the incident until February 15 in an interview with Fox News. Early reports indicated that Cheney and Whittington were friends and that the injuries were minor. Whittington later clarified that he and Cheney were not close friends but acquaintances.