Oregon father of five killed in home by suspected stray bullet shot by hunter

A hunter in the area partially field-dressed a deer before leaving the scene where 54-year-old Robert Alan Church was fatally struck

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An Oregon father of five was fatally shot inside his home on Saturday by a stray bullet that police suspect was fired by a hunter.

Emergency personnel from the sheriff’s office and Sweet Home Fire Department responded to a report of a shooting around 5:48 p.m. and attempted lifesaving measures, but Church died at the scene.

Investigators determined that the shot likely originated from a hunter in the vicinity who partially field dressed a deer before leaving the area with the carcass.

Residents in the neighborhood observed that the surrounding rural area is a frequent destination for hunting, calling on hunters to exercise caution regarding their surroundings and target backstops, according to FOX 12 Oregon.

Church is survived by five children. His daughter Shy remembered her father as “one of a kind” and said that he “loved his children more than anything in the world,” the local station reported.

“His death was sudden, shocking, and impossible for our family to prepare for,” she wrote. “Robert's life was taken because someone who was hunting was not mindful and shot toward a home.”

“My grandpa is covering Robert’s cremation, but he cannot afford the many other costs that come with losing someone so suddenly,” she wrote.

Detectives are asking anyone who was present on Springer Road on the evening of October 10 to contact the sheriff’s office. Investigators are specifically seeking details on parked vehicles, people observed with a deer, audio of gunshots, or any home surveillance or trail camera recordings.