Harry Whittington, a Texas attorney and prominent figure in state-level GOP politics, has died. He was 95 years old.
Wittington made headlines about twenty years ago when he was accidentally shot in the face by then-Vice President Dick Cheney.
Almost 20 years ago, Harry Whittington, a Texas attorney and prominent state-level GOP figure, was shot by then-Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting.
Whittington’s wife, Mercedes Baker, announced his death, stating that Harry died peacefully at home on Saturday morning.
The infamous shooting occurred in Feb. 2006 while hunting quail at a ranch in Texas. Cheney’s weapon discharged, hitting Whittington, who was 78 at the time, in the face and chest.
The New York Post reported Whittington suffered a “minor heart attack because blood vessels near his heart were struck.”
Whittington was hospitalized for a week and surprised all when, after his release, he issued a public apology to Cheney.
“We all assume certain risks with whatever we do … Accidents do and will happen,” said Whittington. “My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this past week.”
The gracious attorney added: “We send our love and respect to them, as they deal with situations that are much more serious than what we’ve had to deal with this week. We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves.”
Cheney’s aides initially attempted to shift blame away from the vice president. Aides suggested that perhaps Whittington moved into the line of fire, but — to his credit — Cheney arranged for an interview on Fox News and took responsibility for the incident, saying, “I pulled the trigger.”
In his 2011 memoir titled “In My Time,” Cheney noted he was “deeply sorry” for what happened, adding, “the day of the hunting accident was one of the saddest of my life.”
The incident triggered a barrage of late-night talk show jokes at Cheney’s expense and was noted in the 2018 film “Vice,” which featured Christian Bale as Cheney.
In an interview about four years ago, Whittington indicated that he and Cheney stayed in touch after the shooting and had dinner together earlier that year.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
