Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson has asked a grand jury to consider criminal charges against 34-year-old Thomas Jadlowski after a fatal hunting accident in Sherman last week.

Charges include second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other environmental and conservation law violations.

"It was always something we were intending to do. We wanted to wait for our investigation to unfold. So we learned all the facts, we got the necessary evidence collected," Swanson (D) said.

Investigators say Jadlowski shot 43-year-old Rosemary Billquist the night before Thanksgiving with a legal hunting pistol more than 200 yards away from where she walking her dogs.

Jadlowski told deputies he thought he was shooting at a deer, and ran over to apply pressure to Billquist's wound after he heard her scream. She later died in an Erie, Pennsylvania hospital.

"You got to know what's in the foreground, you got to know what's in the background and most importantly, you need to know your target. You don't shoot at something if you don't know what it is," said Swanson.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace is still investigating the evidence in the case and says it was illegal for Jadlowski to shoot after dark.

He says while fatal hunting accidents don't happen very often locally, he still encourages all hunters to play it safe.

"Obeying the law, being extremely cautious. I guess we always have to be conscience of the irresponsible hunters. Those that don't know where their target is, those that are shooting from, into areas that might be populated," said Gerace.

Swanson, who grew up in Sherman, knew of both families, and says the incident has taken a toll on the small, tight-knit community.

"There's a level of sadness that comes with this that most people wouldn't feel unless they grew up there and know that town, but at the end of the day, we have a job to do here," said Swanson.

The grand jury could get the case as early as this week.