Norton hunter shoots woman after apparently mistaking her for deer

By Alexander C. Kaufman, Globe Correspondent

A 66-year-old Norton woman was shot Saturday evening by a hunter who allegedly mistook her for a deer, police said.

The woman was walking her two dogs on a wooded path off Oak Street in Norton when a bullet struck her about 5 p.m., according to a press release from the Norton Police Department.

Moments after realizing his target was not a deer, the hunter, also a Norton resident, called 911, police said.

The woman, whose name was not released by police, was removed from the woods by fire personnel and taken to Rhode Island Hospital. There were no further details on her condition.

A thin path connects Oak Street to the 37-acre Alice Clapp Smalley Wildlife Preserve, a small nature refuge bordering a golf course roughly six times its size.

The incident is being investigated by state, environmental and Norton police. The hunter’s name was not released.