Dick Cheney's death brought back memories of his most infamous moment.
One family member finally decided to speak out.
And the daughter of this infamous Dick Cheney victim just revealed one truth that left Americans stunned.
The shooting that shocked the nation
Dick Cheney passed away Monday evening at age 84 after complications from pneumonia and cardiac disease.¹
The former Vice President's death sparked mixed reactions across the country, with supporters praising his decades of public service while critics condemned his role in the Iraq War.²
But Americans couldn't help remembering Cheney's most bizarre scandal — when he shot a man in the face during a 2006 hunting trip and never apologized for it.³
Cheney accidentally blasted Texas attorney Harry Whittington with birdshot while hunting quail at the Armstrong Ranch in South Texas on February 11, 2006.⁴
Whittington, who was 78 at the time, took more than 100 pellets to his face, neck, and chest.⁵
The shotgun blast caused a collapsed lung and left Whittington with a minor heart attack when one pellet lodged near his heart.⁶
Doctors chose not to remove most of the pellets from Whittington's body, leaving him permanently disfigured with about 30 pieces of shot remaining in him for the rest of his life.⁷
The incident wasn't made public until 14 hours after it happened, sparking accusations that Cheney tried to cover up the shooting.⁸
Daughter drops bombshell about what really happened
Now Sally May Whittington, Harry's daughter, is finally telling her side of the story.
Speaking to the Daily Mail after Cheney's death, Sally couldn't hide her disdain for the former Vice President.
When asked about the shooting, Sally shot back with caustic sarcasm: "We've been having thoughts on it since February 11, 2006."⁹
Sally verified what many suspected all along — Cheney never apologized to her father for nearly killing him.¹⁰
"I think Cheney thought he apologized, but my family didn't really," Sally told the Daily Mail.¹¹
Then came the kicker.
"I don't think Cheney was a great shot," Sally added with dripping sarcasm.¹²
The revelation confirms years of speculation about Cheney's refusal to own up to what he did.
Whittington died in 2023 at age 95, still carrying pellets in his face and neck from Cheney's shotgun blast.¹³
Sally called the shooting "an unfortunate incident" that defined her family's public life.¹⁴
Her father handled the scandal with remarkable grace, even apologizing to Cheney at a press conference for the stress the Vice President endured.¹⁵
"My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this week," Whittington said after being released from the hospital.¹⁶
The coverup that made it worse
Cheney violated basic hunting safety rules by firing without ensuring he had a clear shot.¹⁷
The Vice President also failed to get a Texas hunting license before the trip.¹⁸
But the real scandal was the coverup.
President George W. Bush was told about the shooting around two hours after it happened.¹⁹
Cheney's office was informed at 6am the next morning, but the Vice President overruled his Press Secretary and refused to release the information.²⁰
The story only emerged seven hours later when the ranch owner called the local Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper.²¹
Karl Rove, who was close to the White House at the time, told Time magazine the delay was either "a cover-up story or an incompetence story."²²
"The Vice President had arranged for how this was to come out," a top Republican source explained.²³
Cheney later claimed the accident was "one of the worst days of my life" in a Fox News interview — but he still refused to publicly apologize.²⁴
The Washington Post confirmed in 2010 that Cheney had never apologized to Whittington either publicly or privately for the shooting.²⁵
Sally's revelation that her family doesn't believe Cheney ever really apologized exposes the arrogance that defined Cheney's time in power.
The former Vice President shot a 78-year-old man in the face, nearly killed him, covered it up, and then never bothered to say he was sorry.
That's the Dick Cheney legacy Sally Whittington wants America to remember.
Of course, Whittington’s was far from the only spilling of American blood Dick Cheney helped cause and never apologized for.
That’s the legacy more Americans should never forget.
¹ Dick Cheney family statement, CNN Politics, November 4, 2025.
² "Dick Cheney, influential Republican vice president to George W. Bush, dies," CNN Politics, November 4, 2025.
³ "Dick Cheney hunting accident," Wikipedia, November 4, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ "Harry Whittington," Wikipedia, November 4, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ "Harry Whittington, longtime Texas GOP supporter shot by Dick Cheney in a 2006 hunting accident, dies," The Texas Tribune, February 6, 2023.
⁹ "Daughter of man infamously shot by Dick Cheney gives VERY sarcastic tribute," Daily Mail, November 4, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ "Harry Whittington, who was shot by Dick Cheney during a 2006 hunting trip, dies," NPR, February 7, 2023.
¹⁴ Daily Mail, op. cit.
¹⁵ NPR, op. cit.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ "Harry Whittington," Wikipedia, op. cit.
¹⁸ "Dick Cheney hunting accident," Wikipedia, op. cit.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ Ibid.
²² Ibid.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ "What Really Happened on the Day of Dick Cheney's Infamous 2006 Quail Hunting Incident?," People, November 4, 2025.
²⁵ "Harry Whittington," Wikipedia, op. cit.
