A hunting trip turned tragic for a former Stephenville resident Monday.

Dalhart resident Bryan Schronk, 35, a former hat maker at Capital Hatters who studied interdisciplinary agriculture at Tarleton State University, died at a Fort Worth hospital, according to a report on Channel 25 out of the Waco area.

While the television station called his death an "apparent hunting accident," the incident is under investigation by the Hill County Sheriff's Office. Law enforcement officials declined requests for comment on the case Tuesday, citing the ongoing investigation.

Schronk was reportedly hunting hogs in Hill County when the accident occurred in the Itasca area, about 10 miles northwest of Hillsboro on CR 4205.

Meanwhile, a preliminary report by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office calls his death a homicide - "penetrating shotgun wound of chest due to shot by another person."

It was reported by News Channel 25 that Schronk - dressed in black - was shot by one of five other hunters who didn't expect him to be in the area where the shot was fired. He was reportedly struck in the upper torso with a 12-gauge shotgun.

Schronk was taken by medical helicopter to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at about 4:45 p.m., according to the medical examiner's report.

According to his Facebook page, which now stands as a memorial, Schronk attended Hillsboro High School, served in the military and was a member of Tarleton's class of 2000, but did not graduate until some time later, according to James Andrae, owner of Capital Hatters.

Schronk worked at the local hat shop for more than a year while attending classes at Tarleton. Andrae said Schronk received his last paycheck in December 2008.

"He was happy as could be all the time," Andrae said. "Bryan always had a positive attitude, was a hard worker and would go the extra mile for anyone."