Guns and snakes don’t mix

Posted on April 26, 2008
Filed Under Queensland, fuckups, weapons | | 734 views

It is often said that most people who fall victim to snakes get bitten while attempting to kill them.  Here’s another case where the snake beat someone trying to hunt it.

A woman was shot dead by her husband in Queensland this week while trying to flush out a brown snake that was hiding in their garage.  Leanne Sleba and her husband Geoff had spotted the two-metre Eastern brown snake earlier in the night, but failed to find it.  Worried about their children’s safety because they frequented the fridge in the garage, the couple returned later with a shotgun.

After a thorough search, they couldn’t find the snake, and were about to give up, when, according to a family member:

"Leanne started to walk away and she was about three or four metres from him and Geoff heard hissing and he looked down to see the snake on his foot.

"He’s either jumped, slipped….. and his finger hit the trigger and the gun went off.

"It hit Leanne,"

She died at the scene.

Toowoomba District Police Inspector Brett Schafferius said police deemed that the firearm accidentally discharged. Scientific investigations were undertaken and a report was being prepared for the coroner.

Call me suspicious, but how often do things like this eventually turn out to be much more than initially meets the eye?

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Comments

11 Responses to “Guns and snakes don’t mix”

  1. Bettina (13 comments.) on April 26th, 2008 3:54 pm

    so sad.

  2. Marie (2 comments.) on April 26th, 2008 11:19 pm

    Oh my goodness, I know that the eastern brown snake is one of the deadliest land snakes in the world. The irony of it all, it seems that their fears did come true; not from a venomous snake bite, but a man-made weapon…it is indeed very tragic :(

  3. Jayne (30 comments.) on April 27th, 2008 1:14 pm

    I sincerely hope I’m wrong but it sounds a little suss to me, too.
    Who’d use a shotty in a garage, why walk around with the safety off, snake was on his foot and he shoots his wife in the back…?
    I hope I’m wrong but it sounds…odd.

  4. Christy DeKoning (1 comments.) on April 27th, 2008 11:51 pm

    I’m an Aussie transplanted in Canada, and was just telling stupid people/snake stories to my husband last week. Chalk another one up.

  5. Lightening (8 comments.) on April 28th, 2008 8:41 pm

    That is just awful. How tragic!!!!

    Someone needs to give the man a shovel. A shotgun is a terribly inefficient way to try and kill a snake.

  6. blueyes (7 comments.) on April 29th, 2008 6:19 am

    Makes me glad I don’t own a gun. I had a snake come in my back door 2 summers ago and I got the broom out to slam it down on the floor and then slide it over to the door and when I released it, it flew up and out the door and then I tried to chase after it to beat it, it slithered fast around the corner :/

    The last one I nailed with a 2 x 4.

  7. fellow kingsthorpe person on April 29th, 2008 5:42 pm

    It is cold here and We haven’t seen snakes in kingsthorpe for awhile.
    Thouht you would also like to know Geoff is suffering with mental illness and the marriage has only ever been a one sided. Leanne does everything for those kids. Geoff doesn’t even know when the kids where what uniform on what days for school. He is royally f…ked without her.
    He drinks heavly and gets violet and it was only at matter of time something was to happen. On the friday night his best mate was taking him to the Gorwie road hotel for a couple of quiet ones.. I know that’s what I would be doing if I accidently???? shot my spouse.
    When we drove pass the property on friday morning I immediatly thought he had killed himself.
    what I can’t understand he had a shotgun on a concrecte floor. why I ask you???????
    very sus
    There is one thing we know for sure those kids will grow up with out their mother. Not nice either way it happerend.
    Geoff is known for his poor jugdement but this one ,is monumental………….

  8. Loretta (1 comments.) on May 1st, 2008 5:22 am

    This is tragic or mysterious but if the comment above mine is real, the guy needed serious help prior to this tragedy. Now what happens to the kids? They are made to live with a nut case who’s a drinker to boot. Sad and this sux :(

  9. Joo73 (3 comments.) on May 1st, 2008 6:02 am

    Sounds like a spur of the moment thing.. “why not, she naggs too much anyway” “Oh look (aiming at wife) a snake!” BANG!

  10. Joo73 (3 comments.) on May 1st, 2008 6:06 am

    Sounds like a spur of the moment thing..

    ” she naggs too much anyway” He thinks to himself then says out loud. “Watch out honey, a snakes at your feet” He care full aims his shotgun at his wife then … BANG!

  11. Petula (4 comments.) on May 5th, 2008 10:07 am

    Accidents with guns are so crazy. I think people should be required to have training and time spent at a gun range first.

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