Police believe man shot brother after mistaking him for a deer in Ionia County hunting accident

BOSTON TWP. — Police a believe a man accidentally shot his brother with a muzzle-loading rifle Saturday evening while they were hunting in a field at Bell Road and Grand River Avenue in Boston Township, a small community near Saranac in Ionia County.

The victim, 28-year-old Marcus Fron, of Lowell, is in serious but stable condition after being airlifted to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital, according to a news release from the Ionia County Sheriff's Office. First responders arrived at the scene at about 5:30 p.m.

The shooter is his brother, 29-year-old David Fron, of Saranac, police said.

The shooting's exact cause is still under investigation, but officials said the brothers have been cooperative. Based on interviews and an initial analysis of the scene, police believe the shooter mistook his brother for a deer.

The two men had become separated in a dense field of corn while searching for a deer that one of them had shot earlier, according to their accounts. 

The Saranac man saw movements and heard noises from something that he believed to be a deer. After firing a shot, he learned he hit his brother and immediately called 911, the news release said.

Contact reporter Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.

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