April 19, 2016
By Paul Joseph, Paragon Communications News Director –
Clinton police are still trying to figure out just what happened to a Clinton man that was shot in his abdomen and is recuperating at an Oklahoma City hospital.
According to a story in the Clinton Daily News, 51-year-old Rolland Cuesta Garner was air transported to OU Medical Center where he’s reported to be in fari condition Tuesday afternoon.
Coincidently, Garner has a warrant out for his arrest after failing to pay court costs after pleading guilty to a 2014 criminal felony charge in Custer County. In April, Garner was charged with domestic abuse – assault and battery after former conviction of two or more felonies. He pled guilty to the charge in June of 2014 and was sentenced. The warrant was issued in late December of last year.
Garner’s latest incident, the shooting, apparently happened on Saturday afternoon, however, Detective Captain Mike Murley says the details about what happened are pretty thin. Murley says Garner indicated he was walking along Third Street in Clinton near Hayes Avenue when he was shot in broad daylight about 3:15 on Saturday afternoon. When police questioned him following the shooting, he “wasn’t real forthcoming,” Murley says and he appeared to be intoxicated. Garner did say, however, he didn’t know who did it and saw no one around.
The bullet traveled from the right side of Garner’s stomach area to the left side and since the bullet hadn’t been removed and no gun was recovered, police don’t know what caliber or model the gun was or even if it was a hand gun or a rifle.
Detectives are continuing their investigation and are trying to locate witnesses to the shooting.
Murley says when Garner gets out of OU Med Center, he’ll probably find himself back in jail on the bench warrant.
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