Prosecutor said man consumed alcohol, mishandled loaded weapon
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
A 47-year-old Westtown Township man was charged Wednesday with one count of recklessly endangering another person for a Dec. 4 shooting at his residence.
Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police arrested Charles D. Bloomer, of the 800 block of General Howe Drive, after an investigation into the incident, which resulted in Bloomer’s ex-wife being hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the face.
“The reckless conduct engaged in was the dangerous mishandling of a loaded firearm after consuming alcohol,” said Chester County First Assistant District Attorney Michael G. Noone. “Everyone is very lucky this didn’t have a more tragic outcome.”
Police said they responded to Bloomer’s residence in the 800 block of General Howe Drive at 10:39 p.m. on Dec. 4. Bloomer’s 22-year-old son, who called 9-1-1, said he was asleep in his bedroom when he heard a gunshot followed by his father’s screams. He entered his parent’s second-floor bedroom and found that his mother was shot and his father was trying to stop the bleeding, police said.
Police said Bloomer told them he was placing his pistol under his pillow when the gun, a Kimber .45 caliber pistol that Bloomer owned legally, accidentally discharged. Police said that the couple was legally divorced but had been back together for at least a year and that there was no evidence of any altercation. Bloomer’s ex-wife, who was transported to Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, has since been released, police said.
The investigation was conducted by the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department and Chester County Detectives. Bloomer was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Chester Darlington and released on $10,000 unsecured bail; a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge William Kraut is scheduled for Jan.15 at 9:15 a.m., according to court records.
