Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
16-Month-Old Falls Victim to Hunter's Stray Bullet
By
Billy Parker
Published Nov 18, 2008
Modified Nov 18, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published Nov 18, 2008
Modified Nov 18, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The second day of hunting season claimed one more life than anyone would have hoped for when a toddler was accidentally shot and killed inside her grandmother's trailer in Swan Lake. Edward Taibi of Howard Beach was arrested on charges of second-degree manslaughter after a stray bullet from his .300 Magnum rifle went through the trailer and struck sixteen-month-old Charly Skala in the chest.
Taibi was hunting on a friend's property in Swan Lake, just south of the Catskills, when he climbed down from his tree stand in order to take a follow-up shot at a deer that he had already wounded. He was immediately devastated upon learning of the accident, made even worse by the fact that he had lost a daughter of his own in recent years. His girlfriend Evelyn Lopez told WCBS, "He lost a 12-year-old daughter to cancer two years ago and kids are his life."
Police say Taibi was breaking the law by hunting too close to the trailer where Skala's family was watching football when the bullet came through its wall. It is illegal to discharge a firearm or bow within 500 feet of an occupied residence or business unless the hunter owns or leases the property, or has the owner’s consent. "You have to know what's on the other side of your target and in this case, this gentleman didn't take that safety precaution," said Lt. Pierce Gallagher of the New York State Police.
Charly Skala's grandmother told the Post, "The bottom line is, a hunter shot through my house."
Photo Courtesy AP/Michele Haskell
Tagged
edward taibi
hunting
hunting accident
Sullivan County
swan lake
tragedy
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council to weigh changes to juvenile jails as assaults and overcrowding rise
The City Council is holding a hearing Tuesday to consider several bills aimed at reducing the youth detention population and improving conditions for those who remain.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 12:10 p.m. ET
Early Addition: Who's giving out those chic little Nordic gummies this Halloween?
Because the status trick-or-treat candy has arrived, here are your early links: NYC Marathon-themed early voting sticker, New Jersey's Socialist Party on the rise, Herald Square billboard fight and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Who's giving out those chic little Nordic gummies this Halloween?
Because the status trick-or-treat candy has arrived, here are your early links: NYC Marathon-themed early voting sticker, New Jersey's Socialist Party on the rise, Herald Square billboard fight and more.
By
James Ramsay
In East Brooklyn, aging NYCHA homes get a $636M upgrade
By
Willow Higgins
What NYers can expect as open enrollment for health insurance begins
By
Caroline Lewis
Why New Yorkers should care about bats beyond spooky season
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .