Mike DeGroote: Father-son adventure becomes a tragedy - FH Times
A second annual father-son summer vacation to Alaska was supposed to be filled with happy memories and bonding adventures, but something went terribly awry on Tuesday, June 30, at Denali National Park and Preserve as Mike and his father, Dave,... “I’m still hearing stories from people I don’t know about the wonderful things he did. The two DeGrootes were packing up their campsite, and Dave left to get their rental car and move it into a loading zone closer to their tent. Upon returning he found his son had been fatally shot inside their tent in what police authorities have determined to be an accidental shooting. “This was not a suicide,” Mari said. “We don’t know if he tripped or what going into the tent. Mari said the investigation also discovered that the gun had a manufacturer’s recall on it, as other accidents have occurred because of a faulty safety mechanism. Through tears, Mari explained they had no idea about such a recall and certainly wouldn’t have been using the gun if they had known. The elder DeGrootes were on a fishing, hiking, whale watching and kayaking adventure – not a grizzly bear hunt. But they took along a weapon for safety purposes, as the Alaskan wilderness and even developed areas can be prone to aggressive grizzlies and moose. “They even sat through a safety class put on by the parks people,” Mari said. Source: www.fhtimes.com
