Fight Escalates To Shooting New Year's Eve In Petaluma: Police

PETALUMA, CA — A shooting New Year's Eve in Petaluma left one man hospitalized and the other behind bars. Petaluma police officers were dispatched at 5:06 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, to the Town House apartments, 101 Ellis St., in response to 911 callers who said two men were fighting in the parking lot of the complex at the corner of Ellis and Madison streets, according to Petaluma PD Sgt. Paul Gilman.

"During the altercation, one male produced a firearm and fired it at the other," Gilman said. "Officers arrived on scene and located a male laying in the parking lot of the Town House complex with what appeared to be two injuries consistent with gun shots."

Bystanders had detained the other party, 70-year-old Petaluma resident William Hanson, until officers arrived.

Witnesses told police Hanson had been acting erratically in the parking lot. When the other man, a 61-year-old Petaluma resident, walked into the parking lot, the two men got into a verbal altercation, Gilman said.

"The verbal argument turned into mutual physical combat and during that physical fight, Hanson produced a .22-caliber Derringer revolver and fired a single bullet into [the victim]," Gilman said.

The 61-year-old was rushed by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The extent of his injuries was not immediately clear.

Hanson, meanwhile, was detained and taken to the Petaluma Police Department, then to Petaluma Valley Hospital.

After he was medically cleared, Hanson was taken to Sonoma County jail where he was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, Gilman said.

Petaluma police got a search warrant and searched Hanson's car as well as a room Hanson was renting.

Hanson remained in custody Thursday with his bail set at $1 million pending a court appearance scheduled for Friday afternoon, according to Sonoma County jail records.

Gilman said the investigation was continuing, and encouraged anyone with information regarding the incident or the suspect to contact Petaluma police Detective Ryan McGreevy at 707-778-4334.