Chris is still in the hospital but talking and in good spirits. Still a long road to go. keep the prayers going.

If these two guys were shooting on private land as reported, no laws may have been broken up to the point where the officer was shot. And their unfamiliarity with the area, combined with someone who may have been approaching them in the dark, just escalated an unsafe situation.

Don't take me wrong, these two guys are very likely to spend several years in prison, even though they may have no criminal record. But we should not lose sight that we ourselves may have friends and family who might be just as capable of making a very poor decision, should they let their strong obsession to shoot something become far more important than being totally safe.

He's looking damn good for someone who just took a shot from a .308. He was very lucky in his misfortune. Hope he continues to progress well.

Where did you get that he was shot with a .308?

Looking good Chris... Stay strong...

Wow, been out of touch with tv news etc for several days now, first Ive heard of this.

Prayers sent.

I talked to some guys that were actually on the scene and the said they were shooting at one of those yellow WMA signs across the WMA property from a private property vantage point. They saw a bullet hole in the sign they were shooting. We actually prayed for these young men last night @ church.
I ask you guys to consider what these guys must be experiencing right now as well as their families. Everybody; including myself, will eventually make a mistake/use poor judgment at this level; if not more than once in their lifetime. I have been fortunate that none of my lapses in judgment hurt any one. These guys weren't so lucky. Imagine what it would be like if you or your sons went up to Illinois on a Christmas holiday visiting family and your were invited you out to shoot someone's new rifle they got for Christmas and one of your party accidentally shot someone and then you both wound up in jail over it......
They did run once they figured out what had taken place and honestly @ that age can you say that the urge to do the same wouldn't have crossed your mind? I most definitely would have been overwhelmed by the thought when I was that young. Whether I would have run from it I honestly couldn't tell you. Today in my mid 50's I would have went to him even though I knew I was in deep trouble........

^ Well, great thing about Texas, especially East Texas, is there is a great pool of potential jurors out there who will stand together and fairly judge two adults who are accused of such a heinous crime. Make sure you tell those ADULTS that they ought to go for a jury trial.

I know 18 and 21 year olds who are in the United States Armed Forces. Men who know right from wrong. 18 and 21 year olds are pretty long in the tooth to be given the distinct defense as children.

The District Attorney Ramsey for that county is a tea partier and former prosecutor under Republican and former District Attorney Bill Hill from Dallas County. I would expect no mercy from the DA Ramsey for such a crime. A serious message needs to be sent. One that will make an example that will scare the tar out of anyone else who wants to shoot over fences, in the dark and doing dumb stuff.

In all my years of shooting, never once have I ever shot wildly into brush, across property lines or without a known backstop. I was raised better than that.

Nac, I the same as far as shooting but what about other situations? In my younger years I drove intoxicated, street raced, and the list goes on and on. Think about everything you done growing up I bet @ some point you have crossed the line, probably more than once.....
Agreed, These guys will see no leniency from our justice system.......

Yep, everybody makes mistakes, but that everybody makes mistakes is far from any sort of excuse. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody needs to learn from the consequences of those mistakes. When the consequences become legal issue "mistakes," then let's hope they learn their lesson VERY WELL.



People accidentally shoot others while shooting or hunting every year and often manage to not even be charged. There have been accounts of such posted on this forum in 2013. But you know what, the shooters weren't drunk or stoned and they rendered aid. I don't know if these Illinois boys were drunk or stoned, but they sure as hell didn't render aid.

So yeah, maybe we can say the shooting was a mistake, a HUGE mistake on several levels, but they had their chance to man-up and rectify that mistake and they left Chris Fried to die. You can no longer call that a mistake. Then there was the failure to report the crime. NOT a mistake.

There was a chance for leniency, but they blew it. Now they need to learn the consequences of negligence with firearms, of negligently shooting another human, of failing to render aid, failing to summon help, failing to otherwise report the crime.

There is a huge difference in making a "Mistake" and being "Negligent".....18-21 years old is far too old not to have better judgement in things as serious as handling a firearm. Gun safety is an obligation that must be present if one is in possession of a weapon.

These 2 clowns were in no way qualified for the right of possessing a firearm and their cowardly handling of their serious error means they need to be punished accordingly.

May their victim make a full recovery and may they learn and change their ways.

Thats right if they had the balls to render aid and call 911 to try and save the mans life it wouldnt surprise me if they got off with probation, depending on why/how he was shot to begin with. But after they ran they took it to a whole new level. 18 or not you know right from wrong, and running is wrong. I am sure we dont know the whole story and i would like to hear their side of it too.

That's why I refuse to pass judgment on the two of them, I only know one side of the story.......

The facebook pages of attempted murderers.
Eli Stephens - Shooter

Dalton Haddix - accomplice

I am bad about judging people based on appearance. Not to raise a big stink her but they seem like normnal looking guys. Not a punk / gangster wanna be. I know what they have done is wrong I am just saying that they dont seem like bad people.

Prayers up!

I agree from the pics they look like all around American kids. Pics can be deceiving! Even though these guys look like they could be my kids! It is a bad situation that they find themselves in and hate that they are in it, but you lie in the bed you make. I feel they are going to learn a very hard lesson out of this incident.

Again guys, carry a light when walking in the dark for safety reasons and forget about spooking a deer that in the grand scheme of things, means absolutely nothing. It could be something as little as an LED cap light that ensures you aren't mistaken by someone who has a lapse in judgement.

Lol Dan.. You sure are a persistent fellow!

If just a minute or two of effort can keep someone from being sent to their grave and another to prison, it's time well spent.

I hope they throw the book at these two guys.

I hate to see y'all calling these guys kids. IMO they aren't kids. The fact that they ran to leave a man, for all they knew, for dead...speaks volumes about their character. Hang 'em.

Anybody over twenty years younger than i am gets called a kid..lol..and some people it takes the hard mistakes to learn a lesson and people can and will change..I guess you are one of the ones that have never made a mistake in life. Should the kids face the consequences of there actions..heck yeah they should! Should I condemn them for life as evil people..no i shouldn't. Only the good lord gets to do that and he happens to be a very forgiving God!

Did the boys know they shot a man?

I am no special case. I was in the Army at the age of 17. You know right from wrong way before the age of 18yrs old.

very true

I was military as well so yes i agree..There are those that went in the military that don't know there butt from a hole in the ground as well..anybody that has served knows that to be the truth as well. I have also yet to see any proof that the kids knew they shot somebody..most likely they knew but no evidence has come forth yet.