Bristol police are asking for the public's help in gathering information on an assault resulting in two men shot at with BB guns outside a Bristol veterans hall Saturday night.
Members of the Disabled American Veterans said that one of their patrons walked outside the 191 Riverside Ave. building toward the sidewalk and was waiting for a cab home when he and a second patron standing nearby were pelted with BB pellets as the cab pulled up.
“They were right there. The cab was right here. Just going down to the cab," Eugene Bald, Disabled American Veterans Board of Management member, said.
Police responded at about 6:48 p.m. to investigate the reported assault and spoke with the 66-year-old victim, who had a "small laceration under his left eye and was bleeding," police said. he was transported to the Bristol Hospital Emergency Room and medical staff found two BBs embedded in his head and treated him for non-life-threatening injuries.
A BB also grazed the earlobe of the second man.
"Someone just wants to go home and they get hit with a BB. It’s not right," Bruce Champagne of Bristol said. “I was disgusted. It should never happen here.”
Members tells us they consider the Riverside Avenue neighborhood where the hall is located to be safe. Champagne said the area is normally safe with no problems, so he's surprised an incident like that happened there.
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"We would never figure something like that would happen here. Why should it? It's a veterans outlet," Bald said.
Without a good description of the suspect, police are counting on the public to help them solve the case.
“I hope they get caught. This is not right," Champagne said.
Anyone with information that would help police identify the culprit is asked to call the Bristol Police Department at 860-584-3011.
Bristol Criminal Investigation Division officers also responded.
No suspects have been identified yet.
