by WorldTribune Staff, January 9, 2017
A hunting guide is in critical condition after being shot in what sources believe was a kidnapping attempt on his clients near the Texas-Mexico border.
Walker Daugherty, 26, of Chloride, New Mexico was wounded when he tried to stop the assailants from taking an RV with his clients inside.
Multiple gunmen opened fire on the RV in Presidio County, Texas. Daugherty was shot in the abdomen and remains in critical condition at a Texas hospital. One of his clients was shot in the arm and is expected to recover.
Daugherty’s family said the attackers “were strategically placed around the lodge and the men were fired upon from different areas.”
A family source said the hunting party members “were grilled about the veracity of their account by law enforcement” and the gunmen got away, likely returning to Mexico.
According to the family source, the hunting party “was in bed preparing for an early hunt, the guides and cooks inside the house and the clients in the rental RV parked nearby. Walker heard voices outside and went to see what the noises were, he witnessed men with guns attempting to take the RV, he then ran back inside to get help. Walker and assistant Michael Bryant armed themselves to defend and protect the client and to attempt to deter the assailants while the hunter attempted to escape in the RV which was being shot at repeatedly. The vehicle is riddled with bullet holes from the attack and suffered other structural damage.”
The source said the attack “lasted long enough for Walker to run back to the house and get more ammunition. When he was close to the door his sister saw him get shot and was able to drag him inside the house and away from the gunfire. The women in the lodge were able to get a spotty cell signal and call 911.”
The client’s wife, a nurse, attended to Daugherty while they waited several hours for a medivac helicopter to take him to El Paso.
The family source said Daugherty’s business “had experienced several thefts and had been working with the U.S. Border Patrol to apprehend illegal aliens in the area in the past month.”
Friends have set up a GoFundMe account to assist Daugherty, who is uninsured, with medical expenses.