A TEENAGER has been shot and killed in a tragic accident while squirrel hunting.
Carson Ryan, 17, was on a hunting trip when he was shot by a fellow hunter in Iowa on Saturday.
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Carson Ryan was in his final year of high schoolCredit: GoFundMe
The Washington teen was “mistaken for a squirrel by a member of his hunting party”, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
“[He was] struck in the back of the head”, a spokesperson said.
“Carson was transported to UI Health Care Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries,” the spokesperson added.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Carson was in his final year at Washington High School and a player on the varsity football team.
In a tribute Facebook post, the Washington Boy’s Track and Field team said their “hearts are broken”.
“[We] ask you to keep Carson’s mom, family, classmates and teammates in your hearts as we navigate the devastating loss of Carson,” the post read.
A vigil was held for Carson on Saturday evening, hosted by the secondary school to honour their former pupil.
Assistant football coach Nic Williams said: “Carson was a fierce competitor in everything he did”.
“He loved fishing. He loved being with his friends. But more importantly, Carson was a person of incredible faith,” he said.
The heart breaking accident has added fuel to the fire of the ongoing debate surrounding gun laws and young people in the US.
Carson’s shock death comes as the New York Police Department revealed that a 13-year-old boy had been declared brain dead after being shot in the head on his way to school.
Just last week a mass shooting at a church in Michigan also claimed four lives and left eight survivors injured.
The gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, ploughed his car into the church before unleashing gunfire on worshippers inside.
DONALD Trump has signed an executive order laying the groundwork for China to hand over TikTok to US owners following “very good talks” with Xi Jinping.
Dealmaster Don said he had come to an agreement with the Chinese leader following years of speculation surrounding the fate of the beloved $14billion social media giant.
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Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding a new TikTok deal on September 25Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Trump said he had ‘very good talks’ with Chinese leader Xi JinpingCredit: Alamy
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It ends months of speculation around the app’s futureCredit: Getty
In a major U-turn by Beijing – who once slammed the idea of giving TikTok to Washington as “robbery” – Chinese officials have now agreed to hand over the prized platform.
The landmark deal will separate the popular video-sharing hub from its Chinese parent company ByteDance – in a key step allowing TikTok to keep operating in America.
Trump said the agreement would comply with a bipartisan law that would have forced the app’s shutdown if it was not divested and sold to a US owner.
The US President said: “I spoke with President Xi and he said: ‘Go ahead with it.’
“This is going to be American-operated all the way.”
The groundbreaking plan will see US investors oversee the vast majority of TikTok‘s operations.
A coalition of American owners are expected to take charge of 80 per cent of the app – while Chinese investors will have a 20 per cent stake.
They will also gain a licensed copy of the cutting-edge recommendation algorithm retrained solely with US data.
The controversial digital recipe which shows users content based on their preferences previously stirred alarming concern among US officials.
China hawks warned the ByteDance-crafted algorithm could be weaponised by the CCP to influence content seen by hundreds of millions of Americans every day.
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But US officials have failed to present any evidence proving China has ever attempted to do so.
The new US version of the spun off firm will be valued at $14billion, US Vice President JD Vance said.
But the new figure doesn’t compare to ByteDance’s overall valuation, which is estimated to stand at a staggering $330billion.
TikTok’s social media arch nemesis Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is valued at $1.8trillion.
The new investing team will be spearheaded by US software giant Oracle.
The firm will oversee US operations for TikTok, provide cloud service for user data storage and obtain the elusive algorithm license.
The alliance of investors is set to include Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch and Dell CEO Michael Dell.
Trump said of the potential new owners: “Great investors. The biggest. They don’t get bigger.”
Vance said more details about who is involved in the huge deal will be announced over the coming days.
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Trump said Xi encouraged him to go ahead with the dealCredit: Reuters
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US officials warned Xi Jinping’s China could use the app to influence American usersCredit: AP
The deal seemingly puts to bed months of legal limbo for the massively popular app, which is said to host some 180 million US users.
Trump has even credited TikTok with helping him win the 2024 presidential election – as part of his gamechanging social media campaign.
ByteDance and TikTok once faced widespread concerns from US lawmakers over national security and data privacy.
US officials alleged China could use the app to shape messaging and ultimately spread propaganda in an effort to undermine US democracy.
TikTok denied the claims, but Congress collectively agreed to force ByteDance to find a US buyer after a historic vote last year.
The supreme court unanimously upheld the ban in January – before Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to postpone its removal from the US.
The US President also hinted at TikTok’s secure future last week, writing on Truth Social: “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much want to save.
“They will be very happy!”
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Trump signing executive orders on ThursdayCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
