Man Accused of Shooting Snorkeller Says He Thought Man Was A Large Rat

A man accused of shooting a snorkeller in the head told investigators that he mistook the swimmer for a large, water-dwelling rodent.

Sixty-year-old William Roderick of Reedsport was arraigned Thursday in Douglas County Circuit Court on assault and other charges.



The victim, 44-year-old John Chessman, of Marcola, remains in serious condition at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland.

Roderick told detectives he saw what he believed to be a nutria swimming in the Smith River. Sheriff's spokesman Dwes Hutson says he grabbed a rifle and shot at the rodent from a deck overlooking the water.

After realizing that Chessman was not a nutria, Roderick helped pull him from the water.