A game warden was shot Sunday evening in northeast Texas while bow hunting on a wildlife management area.
Chris Fried, 31, of Cooper, the off-duty warden, was hunting on the Cooper Wildlife Management Area in Delta County when he was struck by a bullet in the upper right arm, according to a news release. The incident is under investigation, but the release didn’t state what type of weapon was used.
He was listed Monday in stable condition in intensive care at Dallas’s Parkland Hospital, according to the release.
Fried was wounded between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. He used his cellphone to call for help, according to the release. A Texas Parks & Wildlife Department wildlife biologist reached him first, did what he could to help, and then went for additional help.
The 14,160-acre WMA is open for archery-only whitetail deer hunting by licensed hunters with an annual public hunting permit.
The incident is being investigated by TPWD’s Internal Affairs and game wardens assigned to the Department’s Criminal Investigation Division as well as the Delta County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers. A game warden forensics team was on the scene Monday to gather data, according to the release.
Fried is based in Delta County and has been a game warden since June 2009.