New Hampshire state Rep. David Campbell has apologized for running over some ducks that didn’t get out of the way of his BMW on Dec. 23, saying that the incident was accidental and unintentional.
“I am deeply sorry that I accidentally ran over several wild ducks near the Crowne Plaza last Monday night,” the Nashua Demcorat wrote in a statement provided to the Nashua Telegraph. “This occurred while some people were feeding the ducks in the roadway nearby. I know it greatly upset them, as it did me. In spite of the accusations to the contrary, this was accidental, unintentional and deeply affected me then and now.”
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The incident was brought to light by retired U.S. Marine officer James Murphy of Florida, who said he “had just tossed the ducks some crackers” when he spotted the sedan.
“All of a sudden, this 5 Series BMW comes up, it’s going about 15 miles an hour, and then when he gets to the ducks, it’s not like it even slowed down,” Mr. Murphy said. “It just crushed all of the ducks.”
Mr. Murphy said a man got out of the vehicle and “said something to the effect of, ‘the ducks should have moved,’ ” the paper reported.
Mr. Murphy believed as many as six ducks were killed and a number of others, apparently injured, returned to a pond.
Mr. Campbell told the paper that he apologized to witnesses, contacted the state Fish and Game Department, spoke with the management of the hotel and has cooperated with the police investigation, but that he left the scene after Mr. Murphy became “highly agitated and confrontational.”
“He cursed, continuously yelled, and approached me in a threatening manner,” Mr. Campbell wrote. “After I parked my car, his aggressive behavior and threats continued. To diffuse a situation that was becoming increasingly hostile, I walked across the parking lot to my office building.”
“Once again, I extend my deepest apology to everyone involved, including the public,” he continued.
