Calling it ”the worst day of my life”, United States Vice-President Dick Cheney made his first public comments on Wednesday on the weekend hunting accident in which he shot a 78-year-old Texan lawyer.
”Ultimately I’m the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry [Whittington],” Cheney told Fox News television in a pre-recorded interview. ”I’m the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend, and that’s something I’ll never forget.
”The image of him falling is something I will never be able to get out my mind. It was one of the worst days of my life.”
Cheney has been criticised for his silence about the accident, which took place during a quail hunt at a Texas ranch. News that he had accidentally shot someone in the face, neck and chest did not filter out until Sunday afternoon, more than 20 hours after the incident.
Until Wednesday’s interview, Cheney had made no comment on the incident. His office issued a statement on Tuesday saying that he had contacted Whittington to check on his condition. His office also said Cheney had sent a cheque for $7 to the Texas parks and wildlife department after it emerged that he had not purchased the correct permit to hunt quail.
Cheney told on Wednesday how he had rushed to Whittington once he realised he had been shot. ”I ran over to him. He was lying there on his back, obviously bleeding. You could see where the shot struck him. I said, ‘Harry, I had no idea you were there.’ He didn’t respond.”
Whittington, who was hit by more than 200 pellets fired from Cheney’s 28-gauge shotgun, remained in intensive care at a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas. On Tuesday, concern about his condition intensified after he had a mild heart attack caused by birdshot lodged in his heart.
In the interview, Cheney defended his decision to allow the news to be released to a local newspaper by the owner of the ranch who witnessed the incident, rather than through official channels. The decision has caused uproar.
Democrats assailed Cheney for what they characterised as the administration’s desire to restrict the flow of news. Senate minority leader Harry Reid noted that Cheney had not given a press conference since 2002, while House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said: ”We have to break this habit of the administration of closed government.” — Guardian Unlimited Â