Shooting suspect at large

Published 4:48 pm Tuesday, July 31, 2007

A suspect in the Thursday night shooting of a Jasper man remains at large, police say. An arrest warrant has been issued for Brian A. Hallman, 24, 638 Washington Ave., Live Oak, in connection with the shooting of Cornelius A. Bristol, according to Det. Sgt. Ron Shaw of the Live Oak Police Department.

Law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired at the intersection of Walker Avenue and McNulty Street just before midnight, according to police reports. Upon arrival they found Bristol lying wounded in the backyard of a nearby house. He had been shot at least once in the abdomen, say police.

According to reports, witnesses told police Hallman had been involved in a fight, after which he retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and began shooting wildly into a crowd of onlookers. Only Bristol was struck. Police say it is not clear if he was the intended victim or if he was involved in the fight which preceded the shooting.

Bristol was taken to Shands Live Oak and later transferred to an unnamed hospital. He has been taken out of Intensive Care and his condition has been upgraded to stable, said Shaw.

Hallman reportedly left the scene in a beige 2000 Cadillac with Florida tag number 664HDH. He is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on Hallman’s whereabouts should call the Live Oak Police Department at 386-362-7463, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Department at 386-362-2222, or Crimestoppers at 386-362-4608.