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Update: On November 5, 2018, Kayleen Richins, 40, was charged with negligent homicide in Rich County for firing the bullet that killed Zack Kempke. Richins and her family were target shooting in the Monte Cristo area using a paper target on a cardboard box. The crime of negligent homicide is a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail. Thanks to everyone who took this action and helped to get these charges filed!
On September 23, 2018, 14 year-old Zack Kempke and his family drove to the Monte Cristo area of Rich County in Utah. The family took photos with the fall leaves to send to Zack’s older brother, who is serving a mission in Oregon for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As the family was returning home at about 4:00 p.m., a bullet shattered the glass of the rear passenger window, striking Zach in the head. He died instantly.
The bullet was fired by a member of a group of target shooters on a ridge approximately 200 yards away from where Zack was struck. The shooter told deputies he did not know there was a road behind his makeshift target “because of thick brush and trees in the area.”
This was a clear violation of one of the cardinal rules of gun safety: Never fire your weapon unless you are 100% certain what is downrange of your target. Yet, remarkably, neither the county sheriff nor the county attorney have identified or brought charges against the shooter!
Please contact Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey and Rich County Attorney Benjamin Willoughby through one of th e channels below with the following message (personalized to your liking):
Please identify the man who negligently shot and killed 14 year-old Zack Kempke and charge him with manslaughter. It is absolutely outrageous to me that you are concealing this man’s identity after he deprived this beautiful boy of his life and all the wonderful years he had ahead of him. You know darn well this shooter violated a cardinal rule of gun safety. You NEVER fire your weapon unless you are certain what is downrange of your target, EVER. Because this individual failed to take this simple step and put safety first, a brilliant young light in Ogden is forever gone. There is no doubt in the world that his shooter’s recklessness caused Zack’s death. Charge him with manslaughter and send a crystal clear message to the next would-be negligent shooter: When you put the good people of Utah at risk with your reckless behavior, there are going to be serious repercussions.
Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey
Phone: (435) 793-2285 or (435) 946-3210
Email: rcso@allwest.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichCountySheriffsOffice/posts/2253
Rich County Attorney Benjamin Willoughby
Phone: (435) 793-2100 or (435) 793-2410
Email: bwilloughby@co.davis.ut.us
Once you have contacted sheriff Stacey and attorney Willoughby, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!