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Friend accidentally kills Arnold man during deer hunting trip

"I just want to tell people when you go hunting, no matter what, you have to follow the safety rules."

ARNOLD, Mo. — A grieving family wants to send a message to people who plan to go deer hunting this weekend.

It comes from an Arnold man who lost his best friend, Randy Reising in an accidental shooting during a hunting trip.

"To know Randy was to love Randy. He was the type of person who never judged anyone," best friend Steve Bonastia said.

It's been more than 40 years since Bonastia first met Reising. The two got to know each other after living on the same street in Arnold.

"Even at three or four years old, I remember silly stories, like I loved Batman and he would come around and I'll go around there telling him all about Batman episodes what was going on and he would always listen," Bonastia said.

Even decades later, the best friends continued to stay in contact. They were inseparable.

"He always had my back. I always had his back," Bonastia said.

Bonastia said Reising had a love for children, sports and hunting. It was that love of the outdoors that took him deep into the woods of northeastern Missouri.

"He liked to hunt obviously. He loved sports. He loved the Cardinals and loved the Blues," he said.

Lewis County Sheriff's deputies said last Saturday Reising was in a hunting cabin in the 19000 block of Highway Y in rural Lewistown with friends. They said as the group was getting ready for a morning hunt a fellow hunter and friend accidently shot him in the chest. He died before police arrived.

"That phone call. I actually said 'what' I said two or three times and she had to repeat it to me. I just couldn't imagine it," Bonastia said.

Bonastia said he will miss the special moments the two shared together, but he hopes his friend's tragic death serves as lesson to hunters everywhere.

"I just want to tell people when you go hunting no matter what you have to follow the safety rules." Bonastia said. "Take every precaution necessary so that something like this doesn't happen to you or somebody else's family."

Loved ones plan to hold a fundraiser next month for Reising's family and children. It will be at Texas Roadhouse in Arnold on Dec. 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Ten percent of all food purchases will be donated to his family.

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