WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Memorial service held for Ferrum College student

Memorial service held for Ferrum College student

Students at Ferrum College gathered Wednesday morning for a private memorial service to remember the student who was shot and killed Tuesday.

Twenty-three-year-old Jessica Goode of Northern Virginia was shot in an apparent hunting accident Tuesday.  Another student was injured in the shooting.

Jason Cloutier allegedly fired on them Tuesday afternoon about a mile from campus.  Regis Boudinot was hit in the arm with the same bullet that killed Goode.

The students had been in the woods working on a science project.

"When the blast went off he said she looked at him and said 'I'm going to die,' and she collapsed before he could do anything and she died almost instantly," said Kimberly Boudinot, Regis' stepmom.

Cloutier is facing three charges, including manslaughter.  Authorities say he was trespassing on county property.  He's posted the $20,000 bond. 

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UPDATED: Wednesday @ 9:20 a.m.

The student killed Tuesday has been identified as 23-year-old Jessica Goode of Frederick County. 

UPDATED 10:32 p.m. Tuesday

Police have arrested the hunter involved in a shooting Tuesday afternoon at Ferrum College.

Jason Cloutier of Ferrum is facing several charges.

Manslaughter, reckless handling of a firearm and trespassing.

Authorities say he was hunting on county property when he killed the student, but it was property where hunting was not allowed.

We still don't know the name of the student who was shot in the chest and killed, but authorities confirmed she is a 23-year-old from Northern Virginia.

All of this happened in an area known as the old industrial park property about a mile west of the campus, if that.

And for everyone, that's the scariest part.

Astonished and unsettled.

"I was thinking what happened if that was me," says one Ferrum College student.

Feelings Ferrum students are left with after learning several of their peers where mistaken for a deer.

"The individual was hunting on property near where it was. Three college students were actually in the woods on a science project and this property is actually on Franklin County property," says Franklin County Sheriff Ewell Hunt.

Regis Boudinot was shot in the arm, authorities say he had his arm around the girl who died, a single bullet pierced them both.

Boudinot's stepmother talked to News7.

"When the blast went off he said she looked at him and said 'I'm going to die' and she collapsed before he could do anything and she died almost instantly," says Kimberly Boudinot.

"Every season we encourage the students to be cognizant, it is hunting season and that they should be safe," says Ferrum Police Chief Libby Legg.

The students were not wearing any kind of bright clothing, however, the police chief says they were walking in a very open area, a vehicle trail.

Moments after the gun shot, the hunter called 911.

Authorities say he had not been drinking.

The school has planned a memorial service at Vaughn Chapel for students and staff Wednesday at 10 a.m.

UPDATED 7:33 p.m. Tuesday

News7 has confirmed a Ferrum College student died after being shot Tuesday in a wooded area near the school.

No word on her identity, but police say she was with two other Ferrum College students at the time of the shooting.

Another student was shot in the hand. He is recovering from minor injuries.

Tuesday night, Ferrum College released this statement in regards to the shooting:

"All of us on the Ferrum College campus are deeply saddened over the tragic death of a Ferrum student late this afternoon in a hunting accident. We ask for everyone's prayers for the families affected by this terrible event. The College community is in mourning over the loss of a beloved member of our Ferrum family. A campus prayer service will be held for the campus community in Vaughn Chapel Wednesday morning, at 10:00 a.m."

Jennifer L. Braaten

President

Watch News7 at 10 on My 19 and News7 at 11 on Your Hometown Station for the latest on this story.

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The Department of Game & Inland Fisheries is investigating a shooting near an industrial park in the area of Ferrum College.   

A spokesperson for the college said a student was shot by a Franklin County resident who mistook the student for a deer.  The shooting happened about a mile west of campus. 

A spokesperson for the college says a student was shot Tuesday afternoon in what appears to be a hunting-related incident. 

According to the college's spokesperson, the student was walking through some woods when the shooting occurred.  We do not know the student's name or condition. 

The Department of Game & Inland Fisheries is handling the investigation.