Snorkeler mistaken for rodent, shot in face

[motorman4life]

EUGENE, Oregon (AP) -- A snorkeler who was shot in the face after he was apparently mistaken for a swimming rodent was in good condition after surgery, a hospital said Saturday.

John William Cheesman, 44, of Springfield, underwent eight hours of surgery Thursday to remove bullet and bone fragments from his face, said his wife, Shelley Cheesman.

"He's doing really well," Shelley Cheesman said. "The bullet hit in front of his right ear, where the bone is the most dense. It just fragmented and didn't go into his brain."

He was listed in good condition at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland.

William Roderick, 60, of Reedsport, has been charged with assault, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. He was being held in the county jail.

Roderick told deputies he thought Cheesman was a nutria swimming in the Smith River near Reedsport, about 90 miles southwest of Eugene, and shot him with a .22-caliber rifle, police said.

A nutria is a water-dwelling South American rodent species that is larger than a muskrat but smaller than a beaver. It was introduced to U.S. waters in the 1940s, according the National Wildlife Federation.

Cheesman, an avid diver, was in the river looking at different species of fish, his wife said. He swam to the river bank and yelled for help.

Roderick and another man came to Cheesman's aid in a boat, called 911 and drove him to an ambulance.

"I do give him credit for helping him," Shelley Cheesman said of Roderick.

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Another article on the same incident:

REEDSPORT, Ore. - The man arrested for shooting a snorkeler in the Smith River near here on Tuesday told police he believed he was shooting at a large rodent.

William Roderick, 60, of Reedsport, was taken to the Douglas County jail Wednesday night on charges of second-degree assault, felon in possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Roderick told detectives he was house-sitting a home on Tuesday when he saw what he believed to be a nutria swimming in the river about 2 p.m. Roderick went onto the deck of the house and fired at the object with a .22-caliber rifle, police said.

When Roderick realized he had shot a person, he went to the shore and tried to get help for the snorkeler, 44-year-old John Chessman of Marcola. Chessman, who suffered one gunshot to the head, was listed in serious condition at OHSU in Portland on Wednesday.

Police said Roderick later led investigators to the section of river where he dumped the rifle after the incident. Divers on Wednesday recovered a gun from the river that is believed to be the one used in the shooting.

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So, do you think they should cut this guy a break because he helped out the victim after the fact? Please vote.

I mean, c'mon, it is really easy to mix these two up! If you are STONED!

 

[LongGoneJohn]

If it was your typical senile old man, sure.... because it'd be believable, or at least plausable.

In this case, it's a felon who shouldn't have had a firearm in the first place and a drug addict. Nope, throw the book at him, attempted murder.

 

[jorbar1551]

no on the attempted murder, maybe involuntary manslaughter (or something of the like), as well as drug possession and felon owning a weapon

 

[OldFatGuy]

I think they should show him some leniency because he obviously didn't mean to shoot a person. He also helped the victim afterward and cooperated with the police.

I think at the minimum, he should be charged with possessing a firearm and negligence resulting in bodily harm (or whatever that law is), but I think attempted murder or even assault with a deadly weapon might be a bit much. Also, he should definitely be prosecuted on the drug charges.

Interesting that he could see well enough to make a head shot but not well enough to tell a man from a beaver-looking-thing. :wtf

 

[LongGoneJohn]

I think they should show him some leniency because he obviously didn't mean to shoot a person. He also helped the victim afterward and cooperated with the police.

I think at the minimum, he should be charged with possessing a firearm and negligence resulting in bodily harm (or whatever that law is), but I think attempted murder or even assault with a deadly weapon might be a bit much. Also, he should definitely be prosecuted on the drug charges.

Interesting that he could see well enough to make a head shot but not well enough to tell a man from a beaver-looking-thing. :wtf

Why did he hide the gun then?

Let me ask another set of questions:

If a ex-con was hopped up on Meth and Marijuana, carrying a rifle, shot your daughter in the side of the head, ran away and ditched the rifle in the river, then called the police and helped your daughter --- would you want him to be charged with "negligence" or attempted murder?

The guy is a dirt bag, he knew he shouldn't 1) be under the influence of Meth, 2) be under the influence of Marijuana (or at the very least be in possession of 1 and 2) and 3) be in posssession of a firearm, much less shooting it.

Send him away for good.

 

[OldFatGuy]

Why did he hide the gun then?

Let me ask another set of questions:

If a ex-con was hopped up on Meth and Marijuana, carrying a rifle, shot your daughter in the side of the head, ran away and ditched the rifle in the river, then called the police and helped your daughter --- would you want him to be charged with "negligence" or attempted murder?

The guy is a dirt bag, he knew he shouldn't 1) be under the influence of Meth, 2) be under the influence of Marijuana (or at the very least be in possession of 1 and 2) and 3) be in posssession of a firearm, much less shooting it.

Send him away for good.

Well, I think it's important to charge him with something he can be convicted of, and I just don't see how attempted murder would stick.

 

[LongGoneJohn]

Well, I think it's important to charge him with something he can be convicted of, and I just don't see how attempted murder would stick.

I won't disagree with you at all on that note. Ideally he'd be charged and convicted of attempted murder. You're probably right, a lesser charge of assault with a deadly weapon, or unlawful discharge of a weapon / felon in possession of a firearm / controlled substance / under the influence of a controlled substance would be more likely to stick.

 

[scout]

Flush back to prison.

 

[}Dragon{]

According to a press release by Mr. Roderick's public defender, Mr. Cheesman's choice of wetsuit may have led to some of the confusion:

 

[T-1 Thunder]

Depends on the TRUTH.

Attempted murder requires intent. Personally, I don't think the intent was there. I think it was an honest mistake. And after the mistake, he paniced and tossed the rifle.

Now, you show a picture of a guy wearing bright colors in the water - that's irresponsible unless you KNOW that he was wearing bright colors. My experience with divers is that they wear DARK clothing, to conceal themselves in an effort to NOT spook fish.


If you wear antlers on your head in the forest during deer season and get shot, it's understandable. Not saying this is equal to that, but think along those lines.


Jail his ass for the drugs and possession. Not "manslaughter" because the guy is not dead, so not sure what the charge would be there. ?

 

[saizai]

I'd say yes, he should be given a break for that.

... but that it doesn't outweigh the "you fucked up" factors.

 

[scout]

Imagine yourself snorkeling, all is peaceful, and everything goes to shit because some convict is trying to blow you up with a shot gun.

Hang the felon, save a life tomorrow. I'm sick of tolerating trash.

 

[T-1 Thunder]

Imagine yourself snorkeling, all is peaceful, and everything goes to shit because some convict is trying to blow you up with a shot gun.

Hang the felon, save a life tomorrow. I'm sick of tolerating trash.

Slow down, scout.

Was the diver wearing bright clothes, or dark ones?
Was the convict TRYING to get him, or what he thought was a beaver?
Too bad it wasn't a shotgun with #7, the guy would be better off.
Good thing it wasn't anything bigger than a .22.

I'm sick of tolerating trash, too. But keep in mind we have to judge this based on this case aside from the fact he's trash - because you never know when a "nice person" may accidentally do a similar thing.

Precedance is a bitch, I tell ya.

 

[scout]

Slow down, scout.

Was the diver wearing bright clothes, or dark ones?
Was the convict TRYING to get him, or what he thought was a beaver?
Too bad it wasn't a shotgun with #7, the guy would be better off.
Good thing it wasn't anything bigger than a .22.

I'm sick of tolerating trash, too. But keep in mind we have to judge this based on this case aside from the fact he's trash - because you never know when a "nice person" may accidentally do a similar thing.

Precedance is a bitch, I tell ya.

You're point is good, but I have worked with felons, for years. This is a dirt bag, has a rap sheet a mile long. If he was hung years ago, this 'accident' would never have happened.

Here's most likely what happened: dirt bag sees diver: figured he could get away with killing him. Shoots, hits. Then he throws the shot gun into the water. But, wait, his victim is not dead. Crap, now he's got to kill the guy by other means, which may come out in the coroner's inquest. Back peddle, so he will now claim accident and helped the guy.

A felon with a gun is a terrible thing. The above is how dirt bags think. If they think they could get away with something, bring it on. But, if they think they will get caught, quite the angel.

 

[}Dragon{]

Depends on the TRUTH.

Attempted murder requires intent.

The shooting occured in the commision of one or maybe two felonies.

 

[littlebeast]

Imagine yourself snorkeling, all is peaceful, and everything goes to shit because some convict is trying to blow you up with a shot gun.

Hang the felon, save a life tomorrow. I'm sick of tolerating trash.

Slow down, scout.

Was the diver wearing bright clothes, or dark ones?
Was the convict TRYING to get him, or what he thought was a beaver?
Too bad it wasn't a shotgun with #7, the guy would be better off.
Good thing it wasn't anything bigger than a .22.

I'm sick of tolerating trash, too. But keep in mind we have to judge this based on this case aside from the fact he's trash - because you never know when a "nice person" may accidentally do a similar thing.

Precedance is a bitch, I tell ya.

If it was my diver - I'd be committing the felony on Mr. Lowlife Poor Judgement Shooter. And it wouldn't be no .22.

But then, I'm not allowed to handle the guns without close supervision.

I was given a knife though.

For self defense.

 

[Triple R]

Even if it was a nutria WHY THE HELL would you shoot it in the first place?

Ugh send him where he belongs....in the big house!

 

[littlebeast]

Even if it was a nutria WHY THE HELL would you shoot it in the first place?

Ugh send him where he belongs....in the big house!

Exactly. Creep.

 

[}Dragon{]

Even if it was a nutria WHY THE HELL would you shoot it in the first place?

Ask T-1: In OR that's dinner :toothless

 

[T-1 Thunder]

The shooting occured in the commision of one or maybe two felonies.

No shit? That automatically turns something into attempted murder instead based on that alone? :wow