They had visitors - Melinda Gwin, Geraldine's daughter, and Rambo Peltier, Rocky's nephew.
But after some drinking, things got a little out of hand, such that the police were called to restore order and Rocky allegedly told Rambo he'd shoot him if he came back over.
At 6:30 p.m., police got another call to the trailer park at 1600 Cooley St. Instead of “horseplay,” as court documents describe the 5 p.m. call, the second call involved a shooting.
Rocky had called to say he'd shot Rambo Peltier, who'd been taken to the hospital by a “sober” neighbor and Melinda Gwin, who initially tried to claim that she shot Peltier.
After interviews with all involved, police determined that Gwin and Peltier had returned to the trailer. Peltier said he wanted to apologize for his earlier behavior, but was met at the door by a pistol-wielding Rocky Barton.
Everyone seems to agree that Barton didn't intend to kill the 23-year-old Peltier, but the small-caliber handgun did go off, hitting Peltier in the upper chest.
Barton claimed he hadn't pulled the trigger, and Peltier, whose injury isn't life-threatening, said he thought Barton was trying to shoot a tree to scare him.
Either way, Deputy Missoula County Attorney Jason Marks said he didn't think Barton's behavior was homicidal.
“I think that he had no intent to kill in this situation,” Marks said of his decision to charge the 56-year-old Barton with felony assault.
Marks also charged Melinda Gwin with obstructing a peace officer, a misdemeanor, for allegedly misleading officers about the shooting.
Gwin's case will be resolved in Missoula Municipal Court because it's a misdemeanor, while Barton appeared in Justice Court on Monday, where his bail was set at $25,000. His case will now be transferred to District Court.
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com.
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kevin norris wrote on Jun 29, 2009 5:01 PM: