‘Random’ shooting at hospital lands man in jail, another in ICU

Published 6:07 am Monday, December 19, 2011

One man is in jail and another in intensive care after what authorities are calling a “random” shooting early Sunday morning on the top floor of the Hamilton Medical Center parking deck.

The Dalton Police Department arrested and charged Andrew Paul Desimone, 24, of 1033 Holly Grove Drive, with aggravated assault with a firearm. He is currently in the Whitfield County jail. The victim, 27-year-old Kevin Laray Bradford, is in stable condition in the hospital intensive care.

The incident happened at about 5 a.m. Sunday when Desimone, who had been a patient at the hospital, left his room without being released. Hamilton Medical Center Public Safety began looking for him.

Bradford, who was visiting a relative who was a patient at the hospital, went to the parking deck, apparently to smoke a cigarette. Police said Bradford asked Desimone if he had a lighter, and Desimone pulled out a gun from his car and shot him in the abdomen.

Desimone then drove home. Bradford walked to a stairwell before collapsing, where he was found shortly thereafter by hospital public safety officers looking for Desimone. He was taken into the emergency room.  

Once Desimone arrived home, he left the gun on a kitchen counter. 911 dispatchers received a call from a citizen with information about Desimone’s whereabouts, and officers from the Dalton Police Department went to the home and took him into custody without incident.

The incident remains under investigation and further charges against Desimone are possible. At this time, investigators believe there was no previous connection between Desimone and Bradford.