Yellowstone breaks visitor records Man mistakenly shoots best friend

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park had its busiest May as tourism continued to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

The park had over 483,000 recreation visits last month, up 11 percent from May 2019, park officials said Friday.

So far, Yellowstone is having its busiest year in recent memory. The park recorded over 658,000 visits from January through May, the most since 594,000 visits during that time in 2016.

DINWIDDIE, Va. — A man mistook his best friend for an intruder outside his Virginia home and fatally shot him.

Matthew Sharpf and his family were asleep in their home Tuesday night when Jonathan Hankins showed up unexpectedly, Sheriff’s Maj. William Knott said.

Hankins “came banging around to the door and the side of the house,” Knott said. “I don’t know whether it was to shock him, or whether it was a joke or prank.”

Sharpf went to the door with a handgun and saw the silhouette of a person outside, Knott said. A shot fired through the front door struck and killed Hankins, he said.

The men, both 37, had been best friends for years.

Although the incident remains under investigation, Knott said there are no signs of a quarrel.