Possible hunting accident injures building official

November 9, 2011

By COLLEEN MCCARTHY
sdnedu@bellsouth.net

Two Starkville city officials were involved in what appears to be a hunting accident Monday which left one of them in the hospital.
Jeff Lyles, the city code enforcement officer, was hunting with Ken Honeycutt, city building inspector, in Choctaw County in the late afternoon hours.
“The details are sketchy at this time,” Jim Walker, public informations director of the Game, Fisheries and Wildlife Department said. “It looks like Mr. Lyles shot at a silhouette of what he thought was a deer, shooting Mr. Honeycutt. Mr. Honeycutt took a rifle shot to the pelvis area and was rushed to the Oktibbeha County Hospital.”
The Game, Fisheries and Wildlife Department is investigating the shooting, and Walker said several charges will likely be filed.
“It appears that the rifle that was used by Lyles was not a legal weapon for this current season — was of a caliber that is not legal for this season,” Walker said.
The men were also hunting after hours, which is also illegal.
Officers from the Game, Fisheries and Wildlife Department want to re-create the scene for their investigation to confirm the incident was in fact a hunting accident.
Lyles took Honeycutt to OCH Regional Medical Center for treatment, though it is unclear if he is still there.
Walker said officers will talk to Honeycutt as soon as possible.
The investigation will likely take wildlife officials another week to complete.