Whiskey Shootin’ Police Officer Facing Charges After Shooting Another Hunter

My grandfather always said the only time for whiskey was inside the camp after all of the guns had been put away and I’ll bet this Pennsylvania police officer is wishing he’d followed that advice. 

In a story coming out of Berk’s County, Pennsylvania a police officer is now up against criminal charges after accidentally shooting a fellow hunter while they were hunting Canada geese last fall.

David Qawasmy, 30, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, faces misdemeanor counts of shooting and causing injury to a human and reckless endangerment.

The incident, which occurred only a year after the state of Pennsylvania saw the fewest number of hunting-related shooting incidents since 1915, took place on the morning of November 23, 2024.

According to authorities, State Game Wardens were called to the scene after learning that a waterfowl hunter was severely injured after being shot by another hunter on private property. 

The victim was rushed to Reading Hospital by emergency responders, where he underwent emergency brain surgery for a gunshot wound to the head. His condition was listed as critical, and he remained in intensive care for several days following the surgery.

The shooter, identified as David Qawasmy, 30, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, provided his account of the events to the responding warden. According to Qawasmy, he and the victim were hunting Canada geese from an A-frame hunting blind along with two other hunters. Qawasmy and the victim were positioned on opposite sides of the blind, approximately six feet apart.

Qawasmy stated that after the group had fired at a flock of geese, he observed a goose flying around the left side of the blind and heading towards the rear. He shouted "rear" to alert the others and then shot at the goose from his position on the far right side of the blind. Tragically, his shot struck the victim on the top of the head, causing him to fall to the floor of the blind.

Adding to the gravity of the situation, a witness reported to investigators that Qawasmy and several other members of the hunting party had been consuming alcohol prior to the shooting. This raised serious concerns about the role alcohol may have played in the incident.

The victim was interviewed at a rehabilitation facility on December 17, where he was still recovering from his injuries. He reported that he was unable to walk due to the gunshot wound. 

As he recalled the events of that morning, he remembered shooting at geese and then kneeling down in the blind to retrieve shotgun shells from his bag to reload his shotgun. As he was standing back up, he felt something strike his head. The victim confirmed that several members of the hunting party, including Qawasmy, had consumed shots of whiskey that morning. He stated that the drinking made him uncomfortable and that he had considered leaving. However, he stated that he was unsure as to how much alcohol Qawasmy had consumed.

With severe charges pending, the incident was brought up during a Pennsylvania House Game & Fisheries meeting this week in Harrisburg. In addition to the criminal charges, State Rep. David Maloney pressed the Commission to also extend a lifetime hunting ban to the accused based on the “extremely serious” circumstances.

“There’s law that gives you, as a Game Commission, a certain leeway to take care of that,” Maloney told Game Commission Executive Director Stephen Smith. “So these are the questions I’m getting. And my colleagues need to know that this is out there. People don’t want this man to be a police officer ever again, and they want him to go to jail.”

Considering the on-going nature of the investigation, the Commission has made no comment regarding the possible lifetime hunting suspension Qawasmy could also face.  As of right now, the accused is scheduled to appear for a formal arraignment at the Berks County Court of Common Pleas on March 26.