Police find Berea man shot twice

Bryan Marshall
Register News Writer

BEREA Tue, May 13 2008

— A 35-year-old Berea man who was found shot twice in the arm Sunday told police he was robbed by three black males.
Kentucky State Police troopers responded just before 7 p.m. to a report of a Hispanic male who went to a John Ballard Road residence seeking assistance for his friend, Lucio Gutierrez Hernandez.
Troopers determined someone had been shot after finding a vehicle with a bullet hole in the left rear window and blood around it on a dirt pull-off heading toward a farm on John Ballard Road.
With help from the Richmond Police K-9 Unit, Gutierrez was located in a wooded area with gunshot wounds.
“(Patrolman Travis Bowles) went to the scene and tracked the guy for about three-quarters of a mile,” said Sgt. Willard Reardon, public affairs officer for the Richmond Police. “He found him on the roadside near a ditch sitting down. He appeared to be shot and they transported him on to the hospital.”
Gutierrez was taken to Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
A Spanish-speaking trooper interviewed the victim and determined that Gutierrez was robbed by three black males and then shot by at least one of the suspects.
“It’s a possibility it was a drug deal gone bad,” said Trooper Chris Lanham, KSP community relations officer.
The suspects were driving a gold, full-sized SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Tahoe or a Cadillac Escalade, according to state police.
The vehicle has damage to the front end.
“The suspect’s vehicle rammed the right front door and the fender area of the vehicle the victim had been in,” Lanham said.
No other description of the suspects or the vehicle is available.
The case remains under investigation by KSP Detective Joie Peters.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 1-800-222-5555 or 623-2404.
Callers may remain anonymous.
Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.