Alabama boy, 11, dies from fatal gunshot wound to the head in what authorities say was a hunting accident

  • Hudson Fife, 11, was a fifth grade student from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
  • He went on a hunting trip with his family and friends on Sunday
  • After the group split up, Fife ended up alone in a shooting house in Orville
  • A shooting house is a small structure found in hunting lodges 
  • As evening approached, his sister went to look for him
  • She found his lifeless body in the shooting house at around 5pm on Sunday
  • Coroner said he died from a single gunshot wound to the head
  • Authorities say all signs point to the cause of death as an accident 

An 11-year-old boy from Alabama was fatally shot on Sunday while hunting in what authorities say was an accident.

Hudson Fife, a fifth grader from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head while he was hunting with his family in Dallas County, Alabama, according to AL.com.

The accident took place in a shooting house in Orville, where Fife’s body was found at around 5pm on Sunday.

Hudson Fife, a fifth grader from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head while he was hunting with his family in Dallas County, Alabama on Sunday

Hudson Fife, a fifth grader from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head while he was hunting with his family in Dallas County, Alabama on Sunday

The accident took place in a shooting house in Orville, where Fife’s body was found at around 5pm on Sunday

The accident took place in a shooting house in Orville, where Fife’s body was found at around 5pm on Sunday

Dallas County Coroner Alan Dailey said Fife (first row on the right), his older sister, and other family friends were on a hunting trip on a parcel of land that the family leased. During the excursion, the group split up. Fife was in a ground-level shooting house alone at around 2pm

Dallas County Coroner Alan Dailey said Fife (first row on the right), his older sister, and other family friends were on a hunting trip on a parcel of land that the family leased. During the excursion, the group split up. Fife was in a ground-level shooting house alone at around 2pm

Dallas County Coroner Alan Dailey said Fife, his older sister, and other family friends were on a hunting trip on a parcel of land that the family leased.

During the excursion, the group split up. Fife ended up in a ground-level shooting house by himself at around 2pm.

Shooting houses are small, box-like structures that are often found in hunt clubs, hunting lodges, and private land.

They allow hunters a comfortable vantage point from which they can hunt deer, turkey, and other animals.

As the afternoon dragged on and it began to get dark, Fife’s older sister went looking for him.

‘They called out to him and he didn’t answer,’ Dailey said.

Fife’s sister went into the shooting house and found her brother lying on the floor unresponsive.

The coroner said Fife died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

‘His rifle was in there with him,’ Dailey said. ‘He was not a novice. He had hunted before.’

An investigation into Fife’s death is being handled by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Authorities are also scheduled to perform an autopsy on Fife’s body.

Hudson Fife’s funeral is scheduled for Friday at 2pm at Valley View Baptist Church. He is survived by his sisters, Emma Carlie and Erin Kate

Hudson Fife’s funeral is scheduled for Friday at 2pm at Valley View Baptist Church. He is survived by his sisters, Emma Carlie and Erin Kate

Fife is seen above with his father, Jason
He is seen above with his mother, Kristy

Fife is seen on the left with his father, Jason. He is seen on the right with his mother, Kristy

‘Everything points to it being accidental,’ Dailey said.

Fife was the youngest of Kristy and Jason Fife’s three children. He was also their only son.

His family is remembering him as a friendly, upbeat young boy who was quick to make friends with people.

‘His daddy and I are striving to be more like him, to “love like Hud”,’ Kristy Fife said.  ‘He never met a stranger. He knew people at the grocery store that we didn’t even know.

‘We’d say, “Who was that?” and he’d say, “That’s my friend”.

‘He loved everybody, an unconditional love,’ she said.

Kristy said her son was a young boy who loved the outdoors and activities like hunting and fishing.

He was also a huge basketball fan who rooted for his favorite team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Known by the nickname ‘Hud Bud,’ he also liked playing Fortnite, the online video game. 

Friends of the family organized a fundraiser through Facebook, where users donated a sum total of more than $21,000 to help with funeral expenses.

Kristy wrote on Facebook: ‘I’m not real sure about a lot of things right now, but there is one thing that I am certain of, and that is God truly blessed Jay and I when he loaned this little boy to us.

‘My selfish heart wants him back, I just want to hug him again and make sure he knew what he meant to us.

‘I understand that I will never be able to do this, this side of heaven, but you can bet that I will fight everyday to be better today than I was yesterday, so that I can be reunited with my precious boy one day.

Kristy Fife wrote on Facebook: ‘I’m not real sure about a lot of things right now, but there is one thing that I am certain of, and that is God truly blessed Jay and I when he loaned this little boy to us'

Kristy Fife wrote on Facebook: ‘I’m not real sure about a lot of things right now, but there is one thing that I am certain of, and that is God truly blessed Jay and I when he loaned this little boy to us'

‘Jay and I can’t thank you all enough for the prayers, the calls, the text, the love, the food, the donations, and mostly your time that you all have poured into our family.

‘We don’t know how we will put one foot in front of the other, live on without our little boy and all the precious things about him, but we do know one thing; we are not alone, we are not hopeless, but we are broken.

‘Please continue to lift our family up in prayer. The Bible says “To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.”

‘I know my sweet boy is with Jesus, and I know all his questions are being answered.

‘We want him back, but I know he wouldn’t come back now if he could. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!! You all mean the world to our family.’

Hudson Fife’s funeral is scheduled for Friday at 2pm at Valley View Baptist Church.

He is survived by his sisters, Emma Carlie and Erin Kate.

‘We’re making it, one day at a time, one minute at a time, really one breath at a time,’ his mother said.

‘We’re pulling together, and faith will get us through. I just want people to love like Hud.’ 

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