The hunter accused of shooting 21-year-old University student Jesse Solomon McLaughlin pleaded not guilty to two charges related to the incident in Lane County District Court on Dec. 7.
Derek Eli Madsen, 29, of Veneta, faces felony hunting from a vehicle and assault with a firearm charges in the Oct. 13 shooting of McLaughlin.
McLaughlin was shot in the neck and remained in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center until Jan. 4, when Sacred Heart reports he was transferred. An editorial written by a family friend and published in The Register-Guard says the bullet severed part of McLaughlin’s spinal cord and damaged the rest beyond repair. McLaughlin’s condition has been improving, and his communication efforts have increased.
Madsen was released after entering a not guilty plea on both charges.
McLaughlin was playing paintball in the woods outside Eugene while Madsen was driving around in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with friends. Madsen told Lane County sheriff’s deputies that he shot a single shot from a small caliber rifle into some brush at what he thought was an animal.
After firing, Madsen told police he saw a person dressed in camouflage step out from behind the brush.
McLaughlin graduated from McMinnville High School and was majoring in business administration at the University. An account to help with the family’s medical expenses has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank with the account number 7782541861.
[email protected]