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Volume CXXXII, Number 15 |
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Local man fires gun at Xplorers
ANN SULLIVAN
ORIENT STAFF
Shattering Brunswick's image as a peaceful community, Tuesday night suddenly turned tense as 35-year old Richard Mello fired a single shot from a .380 handgun in the crowded Xplorer's Pub on Maine Street. There were no injuries in the incident.
Not a regular at the bar, Mello is said to have been heavily intoxicated and was asked to leave the establishment by security. The suspect later returned, this time with a loaded gun.
Upon his return, Mello reportedly flashed the gun at the doorman and then entered the building. There is confusion among patrons as to the details surrounding this second entrance. Some recall Mello coming in waving a gun while others claim the weapon was not exposed until he approached the bar.
The police were alerted to the crime by a 911 call from a bar patron.
Before their arrival, 26-year-old Carlos Pacheco successfuly restrained the attacker. The shot was fired during this scuffle.
Although a motive has not yet been determined, Lieutenant Marc Arnold of the Brunswick Police Dept. said, "This does not appear to be a robbery, but we don't know why he would go into the bar with a gun." The authorities were unable to speak with Mello during his stay at the hospital due to his emotional state.
Mello has been charged with reckless conduct with a firearm, criminal threatening with a firearm, and possession of a firearm on premises licensed to serve alcohol.
A popular Bowdoin hangout, the episode at Xplorer's hits home for many students. A frequenter of the bar, John Dolan '03 said, "Oh wow, Brunswick, Maine! That makes things a little more exciting" He went on to say, "I don't think this will stop me from going back."
He is joined in this opinion by classmate Louis Plough who said, "I would definitely go back, but I have to wait a while. I can always find my drink elsewhere."
Several reports indicate that Bowdoin students were at the scene.
Mello is currently at Augusta Mental Health Institute undergoing further psychiatric evaluation.
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