The death of a 16-year-old Minnesota boy who was shot in the head with an arrow by his best friend as he rode a bicycle was a “fluke tragedy,” an attorney told FoxNews.com.
Spencer Swanson, of Chaska, was pronounced dead late Monday at Hennepin County Medical Center. Swanson was riding his bike Saturday when his unidentified friend shot an aluminum shaft arrow with no tip at him, striking the boy in the head.
“It was really a fluke tragedy,” attorney Marsh Halberg told FoxNews.com. “Both families are going through a grieving process with this tragedy.”
Halberg, who was hired by the family of the boy who shot the arrow, said it’s unclear whether his client will be charged in the incident.
“No decision has been made yet,” he said. “We’re hopeful that based upon the dynamics of the case that that won’t occur.”
The arrow ricocheted off the street and struck Swanson in the head, said Halberg, adding that both boys were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “No drugs, no alcohol, nothing like that at all.”
Halberg declined to discuss the incident in detail, referring questions to police.
The boys were very close friends who lived within a block of each other, he said.
Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, told The Associated Press that no arrests had been made and that an investigation is ongoing.
A Facebook page created in Swanson’s memory revealed a well-liked student at Integrated Arts Academy, where grief counselors have reportedly been on hand for grieving students.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family," Eastern Carver County Schools spokesman Brett Johnson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "It's a tragic day for students."
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