A 17-year-old Kentucky hunter died after icy conditions prevented a helicopter from reaching him following an accidental shooting Friday afternoon.
Emergency crews responded around 4:45 p.m. to a call near the 14000 block of Grapevine Road in Crofton, Kentucky, according to Christian County Now. Hopkinsville Fire/EMS located the teenager with a single gunshot wound to his head.
The victim was Aden McKinney, a junior at Dawson Springs High School, the Dawson Springs Progress reported. The Christian County Sheriff’s Office confirmed he died overnight from his injuries.
Christian County Sheriff’s deputies told WKDZ Radio that their preliminary investigation found McKinney’s gun accidentally discharged after they returned from hunting. (RELATED: ‘It Was Me And God’: Hunter Survives Weeks Lost In California Mountains)
A Dawson Springs High School junior, Aden McKinney, died early Saturday from injuries sustained in a hunting accident, according to the Dawson Springs Independent School System. https://t.co/u5p4wQFBdh
— WPSD Local 6 (@WPSDLocal6) January 4, 2026
Responders requested air medical transport, but developing icy weather grounded the helicopter, Christian County Now reported. An ambulance took McKinney to Jennie Stuart Health in Hopkinsville. Medical staff later transferred him to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, where he died.
His family confirmed his passing at approximately 2:02 a.m. Saturday, according to the Dawson Springs Progress. Dawson Springs Independent Schools Superintendent Leonard Whalen announced the loss on the district’s Facebook page.
“Our support and thoughts are with Aden’s family,” Whalen said in the post. “We’ll continue to treasure our memories of Aden, forever a Panther.”
The school district said counselors and support staff will be available for students and faculty Monday, Fox 17 Nashville reported.
A GoFundMe page set up for McKinney’s family describes him as someone who loved the outdoors, trucks, horses, ATVs and hunting.
The investigation remains ongoing.