A camper was holding a BB pistol that he brought to fend off raccoons when he was shot and killed by Buffalo National River rangers Aug. 20, the man's lawyer said.
Jonathan Bolger, 34, of Branson was apparently shot twice, said David Ransin, a Springfield, Mo., attorney representing Bolger's brothers, James and Gerald Bolger, and his mother, Linda Bolger.
"The best information available so far suggests two shots," Ransin said Tuesday. "One in his right hip -- I don't know the direction -- and one in his right shoulder blade in his back."
Ransin said he doesn't know which shot was fired first.
The shooting is under investigation by the National Park Service with assistance from the Searcy County sheriff's office and the Arkansas State Police. No official report of the incident had been released as of Tuesday.
An autopsy has been completed by the Arkansas Medical Examiner's office but it has yet to be released, Ransin said.
Caven Clark, a spokesman for the Buffalo National River, sent out a news release Aug. 21 saying rangers were on foot patrol in Spring Creek Campground near Yellville when they encountered "an adult male subject with a handgun."
"The subject refused multiple commands to drop the weapon and was fired upon," according to the release. No rangers were injured in the shooting.
Clark said Tuesday that no more information will be released until the investigation is completed.
The Park Service hasn't released the names of the rangers involved in the shooting or the caliber of ammunition that killed Bolger.
Ransin said Bolger was camping at the river with his girlfriend, Ashley Santoro, and her three children, ages 9, 10 and 11. He said Santoro witnessed the shooting.
Santoro has started a gofundme.com account to pay for a memorial service and cremation.
"We want to spread his ashes on some of his favorite places such as his favorite camping sites, hiking trails and his two favorite rivers," she wrote.
When asked if Bolger had been drinking on the night of the shooting, Ransin said, "We don't know all of those details, but it wouldn't be unusual for a fellow to go to the river on a Saturday night and have some drink."
Ransin said the shooting actually occurred at about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 20.
Ransin said Bolger had a Umarex XCP BB pistol with him at the time of the shooting. It uses CO2 cartridges and sells for $25 at Wal-Mart stores.
Ransin said it was "unknown at this point" if Bolger pointed the BB gun at the rangers. He said Bolger brought the air gun with him to keep raccoons away while camping.
Ransin said the Park Service has yet to release Bolger's Ford F-150 double-cab pickup.
According to the National Park Service, Congress passed a law allowing loaded firearms in national parks beginning in 2010. But BB guns, pellet guns, bows and swords are prohibited in the parks.
A check of criminal court records in Missouri revealed only a speeding ticket and seat-belt citation for a Jonathan J. Bolger, born in 1982. That infraction occurred in 2000 in Barry County, Mo., which borders Arkansas. He pleaded guilty and paid a total of $75.
Metro on 08/30/2017