A Pittsylvania County grand jury indicted a Chatham man in a hunting death Tuesday.
Harry Franklin Hale Jr., 62, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, shooting from a vehicle, and reckless handling of a firearm.
Hale shot 57-year-old Richie Pope of Chatham with a high-powered rifle on Riddle Road near Whittles on Dec. 29, 2011, according to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Hale and Pope were neighbors, game department district supervisor Karl Martin said.
Martin said Hale was hunting 77 yards away in a field near both men's homes when he shot at what he thought was a deer at 5:15 p.m.
Pope was walking his dog near his home when he was shot in the lower torso. He died at Danville Regional Medical Center.
Hale - hunting at a legal time - was experienced and properly licensed, Martin said.