Lawyer sympathises with Cheney
2006-02-18 09:03
Corpus Christi - Texas lawyer Harry Whittington, bearing bruises and pockmarks from birdshot
but considering himself lucky, left the hospital
on Friday and said the hunting incident in which vice president
Dick Cheney shot him was just an accident.
Whittington, 78, said he was sorry for all the trouble the
incident had caused Cheney, as he spoke with reporters at the
hospital for the first time since the Saturday shooting.
Doctors said Whittington was in "excellent health" and
before his discharge on Friday from Christus Spohn Hospital,
where he was taken after Cheney shot him during a quail hunt on
a southern Texas ranch.
Wearing a coat and tie and standing at a podium filled with
microphones, the tall, dignified Whittington's voice broke as
he praised the medical care he has received. He took no
questions because doctors said he was still not at full
strength.
"We all assume certain risks in whatever we do. Regardless
of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do
and will happen. And that's what happened last Friday,"
Whittington said, meaning on Saturday.
"I regret that I couldn't meet you earlier but you can see
what a lucky person I am," he said, apparently referring to the
bruises and marks on his face and neck.
Whittington said he had been hunting at the 20 240-hectare Armstrong Ranch for 25 years and had many "pleasant memories."
"This past weekend encompassed all of us in a cloud of
misfortune and sadness that's not easy to explain, especially
to those not familiar with the great sport of quail hunting,"
he said.
"My family and I are deeply sorry for all that vice
president Cheney and his family have had to go through this
past week," Whittington said. "We hope that he will continue to
come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves.
Whittington suffered a minor heart attack on Tuesday when
one of the metal birdshot pellets in his body lodged near his
heart.
Cheney was in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Friday and received a
standing ovation from members of the state legislature as he
prepared to address them. He alluded only briefly to the
shooting, telling the assembled group that he appreciated the
warm welcome.
"It's especially true when you've had a very long week,"
Cheney said. "Thankfully, Harry Whittington is on the mend and
doing very well."
The hunting mishap developed into a political furore after
Cheney did not disclose it until the next day when he had ranch
owner Katharine Armstrong call the Corpus Christi Caller-Times
with the news on Sunday.
On Thursday, the Kenedy County Sheriff's office issued a
final report, clearing Cheney of wrongdoing and saying no
charges would be filed because the shooting was an accident.