Saturday, February 18, 2006
Whittington said he hoped Cheney would continue to come to Texas to relax.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- His face marked with tiny birdshot wounds, the lawyer shot by Vice President Dick Cheney while quail hunting left a hospital Friday, saying "accidents do and will happen" and apologizing for the trouble the incident had caused the vice president.
"My family and I are deeply sorry for everything Vice President Cheney and his family have had to deal with," Harry Whittington said, his voice a bit raspy but strong in his first comments since being shot on a South Texas ranch six days earlier.
The Austin attorney spoke less than 20 minutes before Cheney made his first public appearance since the shooting, receiving a rousing ovation from legislators in his home state of Wyoming.
"It's a wonderful experience to be greeted by such warmth by the leaders of our great state. It's especially true when you've had a very long week," Cheney told lawmakers in Cheyenne.
"Thankfully, Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well."
Had mild heart attack
Whittington, 78, was hit in the face, neck and chest with birdshot last Saturday. After a shotgun pellet traveled to his heart, he had suffered a mild heart attack Tuesday while being treated at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial.
Whittington, who did not answer questions after giving his brief statement, had what appeared to be a line of cuts on his upper right eyelid and scrapes on his neck.
"We all assume certain risks in what we do, in what activities we pursue," Whittington said. "Accidents do and will happen."
He said the past weekend involved "a cloud of misfortune and sadness that is not easy to explain, especially with those who are not familiar with the great sport of quail hunting."
Dr. David Blanchard, the hospital's chief of emergency care, said the attorney was lucky to have survived the shooting.
Whittington was being released Friday because of "his excellent health," Blanchard said, but he added that Whittington wasn't answering questions because "he is not 100 percent."
Sense of humor
Whittington did feel well enough to crack a joke.
"I also thank all of you for understanding as best you can that medical attention is very important to someone my age -- and you haven't failed to give my age," he said, drawing laughs from reporters.
He also sent his love and respect to Cheney and his family. "We hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves," Whittington said.
Whittington returned to his home in Austin late Friday afternoon, smiling and waving to reporters through a tinted window before a garage door closed behind the green sport utility vehicle he was in.
"He's very tired. He's had a long, hard trip," said his daughter, Sally May Whittington, who added that the family would have no further comment. "He's happy to be home."
U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Pam Willeford, who accompanied Whittington and Cheney on the hunting trip, was among the visitors at Whittington's house.
Cheney takes blame
Cheney took full blame for the shooting in a Wednesday appearance on Fox News, but his comments Friday were focused on reminiscing about Wyoming politicians, including his own time as the state's sole representative in the U.S. House.
"For better than a decade, I proudly answered to the title, 'the gentleman from Wyoming,"' Cheney said.
In Texas, the Kenedy County Sheriff's Department closed its investigation in the shooting Thursday without filing any charges. The department's report supported the account of the vice president, who told an investigator he did not see his hunting partner while aiming for a bird.