A 35-year-old man was arrested on first-degree assault charges after hitting another man in the back of the head with the butt of a pellet gun at the homeless camp behind the Durango Tech Center, according to authorities.
Chris Burke, spokesman for the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, said officers were dispatched to the temporary homeless camp around 12:10 a.m. Monday on reports of a physical disturbance.
Burke said the victim originally reported to authorities he had been shot in the back of the head. Instead, it turned out he was hit in the back of the head with the butt of a pellet gun.
Burke said the victim, identified as Russell Gosnel, 51, was intoxicated at the time of the incident. He was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center and later released.
The cause of the disturbance remained under investigation, Burke said. Both people involved in the incident are homeless residents, he said. It was unclear if the suspect was intoxicated at the time.
Officers arrested the suspect, Richard Foisel, on charges of first-degree assault.
jromeo@durangoherald.com