Woman shot in designated hunting area

NORTON, Mass. (WPRI) - Police say a 66-year-old woman mistakenly shot by a hunter was walking her dogs in an area where hunting is allowed.

Cheryl Blair was walking in the woods behind her home in Norton, Mass., on New Year's Eve, when she was shot by her neighbor, off-duty Massachusetts State Trooper John Bergeron.

Investigators say the thickly wooded area is located about 800 feet from any buildings and is regularly used for hunting.

Eyewitness News has obtained the 911 tapes from when Bergeron called for help.

Bergeron: I have a woman. She's shot in the woods. I don't know where she's hit. Where are you hit ma'am?
Blair: I have no idea?
Bergeron: I can't see any blood.
Blair: I don't know. I can't move.
Bergeron: She can't move.
Dispatcher: Was it a hunter?
Bergeron: Yes, it was me.

Ten minutes later rescuers arrived to pull Blair from the woods. She had to undergo surgery for a fractured pelvis, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Bergeron, 50, was properly licensed and will likely not face any criminal charges.