Official Incident Report
For future reference, here is the full official incident report:
Reports Concerning Events That Occurred On 02/11/2006
The following is the official incident report as filed by Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr.
At approximately 1830 hrs on Saturday February 11, 2006, Kenedy County Sheriff Ramon Salinas
contacted me, Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr. The phone call was in reference to a hunting
accident that occurred on the Armstrong Ranch. I was told by Sheriff Salinas to report to the main
house on the Armstrong Ranch on Sunday February 12, at 0800 hrs and I would receive more
information when I got there.
On Sunday, February 12, 2006, at approximately 0805 hrs, I Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr.,
arrived at the bump gate to the Armstrong Ranch. This ranch is located approximately twenty-one
miles south of Sarita, Texas in Kenedy County. There at the bump gate, Secret Service, and Border
Patrol personnel met me. I identified myself and told everyone I was to report to the main house. I
was instructed to park my vehicle so it could be inspected before I could proceed to the main
house. While my vehicle was getting inspected, a Secret Service agent approached me and he
advised me he would be riding with me to the main house. As I was approaching the main house, I
was instructed to park my vehicle by the cattle guard. There I walked across the cattle guard and
was turned over to another agent who identified himself to me as Michael A. Lee, Special Agent in
charge with the Secret Service.
As we entered the main house, Mr. Lee introduced me to Vice President Cheney. Mr. Cheney
shook my hand and told me he was there to cooperate in any way with the interview. As I got
comfortable at a table inside the main house, I asked Mr. Cheney if he could explain to me what had
happened the day of the incident.
Mr. Cheney told me that on Saturday, February 11, 2006 at approximately 5:30 pm on the
Armstrong Ranch there was a three vehicle hunting party that consisted of himself, Bo Hubert, Pam
Willeford, Jerry Medellin, Katharine Armstrong, Sarita Armstrong Hixon, Harry Whittington, and
Oscar Medellin. Mr. Cheney told me the sun was setting to the west when the dogs had located a
covey. Around the same time, Oscar Medellin notified the hunters he had also located a covey.
After the group shot at the first covey he and Pam Willeford proceeded to the second covey
because Harry Whittington was looking for his downed birds. Mr. Cheney told me he and Pam
Willeford had walked approximately 100 yards from the first location and met up with Oscar Medellin
and the hunting guide Bo Hubert. There was a single bird that flew behind him and he followed the
bird by line of sight in a counter clockwise direction not realizing Harry Whittington had walked up
from behind and had positioned himself approximately 30 yards to the west of him. Mr. Cheney told
me the reason Harry Whittington sustained the injuries to his face and upper body was that Mr.
Whittington was standing on ground that was lower than the one he was standing on. Mr. Cheney
told me if Mr. Whittington was on the same ground level the injuries might have been lower on Mr.
Whittington's body.
The weapon Mr. Cheney was using at the time of the incident was an over under twenty- eight
gauge shotgun. It had a brand name of Perazzi Brescia and was made in Italy. The serial number
on the weapon read 115288.
At that time, I told Mr. Cheney I didn't need any more information at this time, but how could I reach
him. Mr. Cheney told me I could contact Mr. Lee. I then excused myself and proceeded out of the
main house.
While outside around the headquarters I was able to locate and get information from Gerardo
Medellin TX dl# XXXXXXXX, who helped me identify the other people in the hunting party, Michael
Andrew Hubert TX dl# XXXXXXXX, Pamela Pitzer Willeford TX dl# XXXXXXXX, and Katharine
Armstrong TX dl# XXXXXXXX. I was able to speak briefly with Katharine Armstrong who told me
pretty much the same story Mr. Cheney told me. (See her written statement for further details.)
On Monday February 13, 2006, at approximately 1000 hrs I Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr.
and Lt. Juan J. Guzman went to Spohn Memorial Hospital located in Corpus Christi, Texas to speak
with Harry Whittington. We were escorted to Mr. Whittington's room and there I introduced Lt.
Guzman and myself to Mr. Whittington who was sitting in a chair. I told Mr. Whittington we needed to
speak with him on the incident that occurred Saturday February 11, 2006. I asked Mr. Whittington if
we could record our conversation and Mr. Whittington requested not to be recorded due to his
voice being raspy. It was then I requested a written affidavit be done and Mr. Whittington gladly
agreed to do one as soon as he returned back home to his office.
Mr. Whittington did speak of the incident and explained foremost there was no alcohol during the
hunt and everyone was wearing the proper hunting attire of blaze orange. The hunting group was
out to shoot a covey that the dogs had found, about the same time, a second covey was found by
the outrider. The first covey was flushed and he got a double. While looking for the downed birds,
he had returned back at one point to the hunting vehicles where Katharine and Sarita were to let
them go for the second covey. However, Katharine had told him to go and shoot the second covey.
So, at that time, he proceeded to join the hunters who had already moved from the first location. At
that time, a nurse came in the room and asked Lt. Guzman and I to kind of hurry up so Mr.
Whittington could rest. Mr. Whittington again reiterated that this incident was just an accident. He
was concerned this incident would bring a bad imagine to hunting in Texas. I then told Mr.
Whittington I would give him a call in a few days to get the written affidavit.
On Tuesday February 14, 2006 I spoke with Gerardo Medellin who dictated to me as I wrote his
affidavit. (See Affidavit for further details.) I was also taken to the area were the incident occurred.
The pasture name is the Comal Pasture and it is located at approximately four miles west of U.S.
Highway 77. The GPS readings for this incident was retrieved from my phone as N 26* 56.352' W
97* 50.420�? while on location, I was able to understand more how Mr. Cheney and Katharine
Armstrong described the area in their statement.
On Wednesday February 15, 2006 I was able to make contact with Katharine Armstrong, Sarita
Armstrong Hixon, Pamela Willeford, and Michael Hubert. I requested a written affidavit from each
one of them. I was able to get everyone's affidavit except for Mr. Hubert's affidavit. He told he would
be in the area sometime Friday February 17, 2006 and would get in contact with me.
The following is the official supplement report as filed by Sheriff Ramon Salinas III.
On February 11, 2006 at approximately 5:30 p.m., I, Ramon Salinas, III, and Sheriff of Kenedy
County received a telephone call at my home from Captain Charles Kirk in reference to a possible
hunting accident that had occurred on the Armstrong Ranch. Captain Kirk stated that he was on
his way to the Armstrong gate to get more information.
About 8 to 10 minutes later, I received another call from a United States Secret Service Agent; I
believe his name was Martinez. He said that the purpose of the call was to officially notify the
Kenedy County Sheriff's Office of a hunting accident that had just occurred on the Armstrong
Ranch and that it involved Vice-President Cheney.
After I hung up, Captain Kirk called me back and said that he'd made contact with a Border Patrol
agent at the Armstrong gate and that the Agent told him that he didn't know anything about the
accident. I then told Captain Kirk that it was fine and that I would contact someone on the Ranch.
After speaking with Captain Kirk I contacted Constable Ramiro Medellin Jr., former Sheriff of
Kenedy County and asked him if he had any information about the accident. Constable Medellin
stated that he would call me right back.
Constable Medellin returned my call and said, “This in fact is an accident.�? He stated that he had
spoken with some of the people in the hunting party who were eyewitnesses and that they all said it
was definitely a hunting accident. I also spoke with another eyewitness and he said the same thing,
that it was an accident.
After hearing the same information from eyewitnesses and Constable Medellin, it was at this time
that I decided to send my Chief Deputy first thing Sunday morning to interview the Vice-President
and other witnesses.
A few minutes later, I received another call from the Secret Service asking if I was going to send
someone to the Ranch. I told him that someone would be there first thing in the morning. The
Secret Service said they would be at the gate waiting.
At approximately 6:15 p.m. I contacted Chief Deputy San Miguel and advised him of the incident
and to be at the gate at approximately 8:00 a.m.
See Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel's report for further information.