FARMINGTON - The Trumbull County Coroner's Office ruled Thursday the death of a Brooklyn, Ohio, man was the result of a single penetrating gunshot wound to his chest and neck.
Nikolas Neric, 26, 9013 Beech Ave., was killed as a result of a homicide, the coroner's office ruled following the autopsy.
Investigators have said they believe the death was the result of a hunting accident Tuesday in the Grand River Wildlife Area about 2 miles south of state Route 88.
Investigators said they believe another hunter, whose name they will not release until the investigation is complete, thought Neric was a deer and shot him.
It was the final day of deer and muzzle-loader season. Neric did have a hunting license with the state.
A man who called 911 said Neric wasn't wearing orange and didn't have a gun. But a Trumbull County Sheriff's report said Neric had a gun in his jacket.
Reports said deputies found Neric lying in the fetal position with his head resting on a fallen tree. He had blood coming from his nose area.
Neric had a handgun in his inner left breast jacket pocket, according to reports. The magazine was one-quarter empty, and there were no rounds in the chamber, reports said.
Hunters in the woods at the time were removed and questioned.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources investigator Jerrod Roof said no other information will be released until the end of their investigation, which could take up to two weeks.