Oct. 19--
BRATTLEBORO -- A Vermont man told police he was trying to unload a shotgun with one hand while driving when he shot his fiancee in the leg last month, according to court documents.
Robert P. Nantell, 44, of Vernon, was arraigned Tuesday morning in the Windham Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court on charges of first-degree aggravated domestic assault, simple assault with a weapon and reckless endangerment. He pleaded not guilty through a public defender.
Nantell's fiancee, 52-year-old Ivonne Garcia, also told police that she believed the shooting was an accident and that she still planned to marry Nantell, court documents showed.
Garcia suffered a serious leg injury and was flown to Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts for treatment. Her right leg was amputated below the knee as a result of the gunshot wound, according to court documents.
She was present at Nantell's arraignment Tuesday.
Prosecutors have not asked for Nantell to be held on bail, and Assistant State's Attorney Steven Brown said in court Tuesday that Nantell had been cooperative with police and it is likely the case will be resolved soon with an agreement between the state and defense, although he offered no specific timeline.
According to a police affidavit written by Brattleboro police Detective Erik Johnson, police responded to the report of a shooting Sept. 27 after 1 p.m. on Marlboro Road in Brattleboro.
In an interview with police, Nantell said he'd been driving east on Marlboro Road, with Garcia sitting on the passenger side of his green 1994 Dodge pickup truck, when he realized a round was chambered in the shotgun sitting on the floor of the truck between the seat and gearshift.
The muzzle of the gun, which he usually keeps loaded at home for protection and unloaded in the truck, was pointing toward Garcia, Nantell told police.
Nantell said as he was "trying to do the law" by attempting to unload the gun, he accidentally "hit the trigger" and realized Garcia had been shot, the affidavit said.
Nantell then pulled into the parking lot of a nearby gas station, drove through an attached coffee shop drive-through and parked in front of the gas station, he told police.
He threw the shotgun, the spent shell and a knife he was carrying into the bed of the truck, Nantell said.
A patron of the store told police a man ran in yelling, "Call 911, call 911!" and saying he'd mistakenly shot his wife.
The patron told police he went outside with the man to help the woman, who said her name was Ivonne, and that she was very calm and also told him the shooting was an accident, the affidavit said.
In an interview with police at the hospital, Garcia said when Nantell realized the gun was loaded he was trying to unload it with his right hand, while driving with his left. Garcia told police she suggested he pull into the gas station to unload it before it went off, according to the affidavit.
Garcia told police she'd been in a relationship with Nantell for 11 years and still planned to marry him. The couple told police they'd been planning to marry on Oct. 1, according to the affidavit.
"Garcia advised Nantell would never hurt her because she is his 'queen bee,' " Johnson wrote in the affidavit.
Nantell's next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 24.
Casey Farrar can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1435, or [email protected].
Copyright 2011 - The Keene Sentinel, N.H.
