Massachusetts “William Tell” off target as accidentally kills neighbor with crossbow

William Tell was a Swiss folk hero from the 14^th century whose prowess with a crossbow was out of this world.

According to the legend, Tell and his son were both to be executed by an evil duke but Tell was given the chance to redeem them by shooting an apple clean off the head of his son in a single attempt.

And he did it!

Tragically, a crossbow marksman from the 21^st century was not able to conjure up Tell’s precision during a vicious dog attack in Massachusetts this week.

The unnamed man picked up his weapon to try and help his neighbor who was under a fearsome attack from two pitbulls but his shot ended up killing the man he was trying to save. The victim has also not been named yet, according to a report from NBC Boston.

Shortly after noon this Wednesday, police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a dog attack at 19 Bellevue Ave., in the town of Adams.

When the two officers and a K9 unit responded they found two mature male dogs fighting, said Andrew McKeever, spokesman for Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington.

When the dogs started to attack responding officers, police shot the animals with their service weapons, he said.

Police then found the body of an adult who had been shot and killed by an arrow in the apartment. A child, whose age was not released, was found unharmed in a nearby room, he said.

“Investigators currently believe a neighbor heard the commotion, called police and then made entry into the apartment,” he said. “The neighbor got a crossbow and shot at the dogs.”

The arrow is believed to have hit one of the dogs, traveled through a door and fatally struck the resident in the next room as he was trying to barricade himself from being attacked by the animals.

“Early indications are that the death is accidental and the neighbor is cooperating with authorities,” McKeever said.

The victim’s name will not be released until family is notified and the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office confirms his identity, he said.

The dogs had a history of being aggressive, McKeever said.

	ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS
Location:	140 miles west of Boston; 45 miles east of Albany, NY
Population:	8,485
Median Household Income:	$32,161
Quirky Fact:	In 1778, the town was officially incorporated as Adams, named in honor of Samuel Adams, a revolutionary leader and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and a man perhaps better known to younger generations as the inspiration for the eponymous beer brand founded in 1984