BERNICE, La. - A 17-year-old from Monroe is dead after an apparent lightning strike during a hunting trip Saturday evening near Bernice.

According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 8:30 p.m. to Robert Welch Road near the Weldon community for a report of an injured person.

First responders located the victim, Colton Gauge Honeycutt, inside an elevated deer stand in a remote wooded area.

Investigators believe Honeycutt was struck by lightning when thunderstorms passed through the area just before sunset Saturday. The Union Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced him dead at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation.

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