VASSALBORO, Maine — A 22-year-old man was shot and wounded inside a house on Whitehouse Road early Tuesday morning and the homeowner was arrested, though not charged with the shooting, Maine State Police said.
The victim, Rafael Encarnacion of the Bronx, N.Y., was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, said state police Lt. Christopher Coleman. Encarnacion underwent surgery for a gunshot wound that is not considered life-threatening, Coleman said.
Joseph L. Gagnon, 55, who owns the house where the shooting occurred, turned himself in to Hallowell police Tuesday and was charged with violating bail conditions that forbade him from being at the house, according to Coleman. He said Gagnon probably will appear in court Wednesday to answer the bail violation charge.
Gagnon has not yet been charged in the shooting, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Coleman said Gagnon apparently was having a birthday party at the house before the shooting occurred. The lieutenant said Gagnon got into an argument with Encarnacion and shot him. Another person at the party, which was attended by six people, called police.
“The victim stopped by the party. He showed up with his girlfriend,” said Coleman. “An argument ensued shortly after he arrived. The homeowner [Gagnon] shot him in the abdomen. After the shooting, the homeowner left the scene and turned himself into Hallowell PD.”
Coleman said he believed Gagnon called Hallowell police from a relative’s house and police picked him up.
Gagnon was arrested for violating bail because he wasn’t supposed to be at the house, Coleman said.
Encarnacion received medical care before being flown by LifeFlight to CMMC.
“We don’t believe his injuries are life-threatening. We believe he will survive,” said Coleman.
Coleman wouldn’t release any other details about the shooting.
“The shooting itself, the underlying circumstance, we’re still trying to uncover,” said Coleman. “We haven’t gotten to a point yet where we’ve made any conclusions. I suspect after our investigation we’ll hand it over to the District Attorney’s Office.”
Gagnon’s girlfriend, Jaimee Laney, 33, who also lives at the Whitehouse Road residence, was arrested for failing to appear in court, McCausland said in a press release.
Police were called to the house at 38 Whitehouse Road at 12:30 a.m.
McCausland said a team of 15 detectives and sheriff’s deputies were investigating the shooting.
Watch bangordailynews.com for updates.
LifeFlight flies all over the place. The spokesman for the dept of public safety should have a better grasp of the EMS system.
Good point. They have a heli pad out behind Mayo. I’ve seen them pick up and drop off there.
….
This whole story sounds fishy. The owner of the house is forbidden from being on his own property? A gun at a birthday party? Da Bronx?
….
a real group of aspiring law breakers it seems?
Vassalboro. AGAIN??? Must be the water.
Nah! It’s the coffee
I would have said that but the place burned down. And to quote an old song (Everybody calls this a BIG TOWN).
Times are surely changing when one has to think about going to a birthday party armed…..Crazy…
Bronx product delivery…just like the bus station in Bangor daily…
Sorry I missed the party (on a weeknight), but I have a job and a purpose in life.
Sounds like they all deserve each other.
Drugs?
This is the most confusing story I ever heard! This guy owns the house and is having a birthday party there but is not supposed to be at the house. Another guy from New York shows up at the party and the owner shoots him! The girlfriend of the guy who owns the house also lives there and gets arrested for failure to appear. This must be a TV soap opera I missed!
“Nightmare on Whitehouse Road.”
Sounds like a protection order case to me. You can be evicted from your own home if you let someone move in with you and they call the cops and say that you are abusing them.
Ex boyfriend shoots new boyfriend of woman who has domestice abuse/assault charge against him… Bet good money thats how this turns out… Why else would the homeowner be out on bail and not able to reside at his own home?? Domestic violense assault charge bail conditions routinely deny residence to the accused to protect the victim. I may be off on a few exact details but thats the gist of it as I read this article.
My…what a fine bunch of party goers. The article says the victim “stopped” by with his girlfriend. May I assume he didn’t get a personal invite to the party? And the homeowner…he’s in his home where he is not supposed to be…..much less throwing a party? And his girlfriend has a habit of not showing up in court. Sounds like a fine upstanding bunch of citizens…..just trying to have a good time. If anyone else gets it in their head that they will just drop in on Gagnon’s parties……when you hear the revelers beginning to holler “YeeHaw”……that’s the time to skedaddle……ASAP….gunfire will soon follow.
Next thing we know Tassleboro will be on TV as a new reality show.
Sounds like it was a wild party. Personally, I prefer a nice cake with candles. Hold the cupcakes and check your guns at the door.
He owns the house but bail conditions “forbade” him from being at the house? This story needs a serious rewrite from the beginning to better explain everything that went on.
I wonder if drugs were involved?
Nothin’ says “Maine” more than the all-weather, velour recliner right outside the front door. The only thing missing is a boat that hasn’t been in water for years.
Oh, wait a minute. After looking at one of the other photos, that thing parked next to the blue building at the back looks like a boat.
Cue the dueling banjos…….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8
sounds like one hell of a mess.
Ok… I just got to ask???? Whose birthday party was it anyway?????
Ok.. I got to ask????? Whose BIRTHDAY party was it, anyway???
“The victim, Rafael Encarnacion of the Bronx, N.Y. …” Maine, the way life should be. LOL I don’t suppose drugs could be involved?
What I get from all this is ….Next time bring a goshdarn present.Is it gonna kill you to not come to the birthday bash emptyhanded…no…but ….
Every time I read a story like this, I begin to hear
those banjos in Deliverenace come to life.
Maybe some of the students from Bangor High Scool decided Vassalboro was their next stop. A camp in Lincoln, Morgan Hill Event Center in Hermon…I hear Millinocket is nice this time of year…
Too bad that they simply did not kill each other, much cheaper for us taxpayers…….