New Bedford Man Shot by Pellet Gun While Walking Dog

When you have been victimized, the right thing to do is to call the police to report it.

"I would encourage people to immediately report it to the police," even if they think they have little to report, New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira said.

A friend of mine, a guy about my age, was shot in the neck on Sunday evening with pellets from a pellet gun while walking his dog on Kempton Street near the West End home he has owned for years. He wasn't hurt and the incident was over in a flash. He didn't report it.

My friend said he noticed a car slowing down and seemingly trailing him, and when he glanced to his side, using peripheral vision to see what was going on, a passenger in the vehicle leaned out the window and let him have it.

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The shooter hit my friend with three pellets from a pellet gun. Though he wasn't hurt, he was stunned by what occurred, and as a result he failed to get a good look at the vehicle or its occupants before the car sped away.

Because he wasn't hurt and he was unable to identify the vehicle or its occupants, my friend continued with his walk and went home to his wife. Since he was not injured, no police report was filed, and no accusations were made against specific individuals, I have decided to respect my friend's privacy by not publishing his name.

"As far as I know, it was isolated," New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira said when informed of the incident. "I don't know of any other reports of anything related."

"I would encourage people to immediately report it to the police" should they be a victim of a similar attack, Oliveira said. "Even without a plate, we can investigate it by looking at cameras in the area."

"It's possible that the perp was in a nearby house, so it's good for us to have the location documented," he said.

Lessons learned. If ever something like that happens to you, try and memorize or take a photo of the license plate, but even if you can't, report the incident to the police just the same.