Police: Shooting Victim In Canaan Affiliated With Hell's Angels

CANAAN (NEWS CENTER) -- State Police say the man shot in Canaan Thursday evening is affiliated with the Hell's Angels clubhouse at which he was shot.

Lt. Gary Wright, with State Police Criminal Investigation Division, said Gary Watson, 63, of the Madison area was shot at the clubhouse on Route 23 between Canaan and Hinckley.

State Police received a 911 call at 5:36 p.m. Thursday from a female neighbor who heard several gun shots, said Wright. She went to the area where she heard the shots and found Watson in a vehicle in the middle of the road, parked perpendicular to the flow of traffic.

Wright said there is a gate in the driveway leading to the clubhouse, and it appears Watson had pulled in and stopped at the gate. Wright said Watson was in the driveway when he was shot, and then tried to pull out.

Emergency crews responded, and Watson was taken by Life Flight to Eastern Maine Medical Center. Wright said Watson underwent surgery Thursday night and was in stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit Friday morning. A spokesperson for EMMC said she did not have any information about Watson.

Wright would not say how many times Watson had been shot, only that he had sustained a gun shot wound.

State Police say the person or people who shot Watson left in a vehicle heading south on Route 23. Wright said they are looking into whether there is any surveillance video available from stores or other facilities in the area at the time of the shooting.

"We have conducted numerous interviews," said Wright. He added a couple of people affiliated with the clubhouse arrived at the scene Thursday, but would not give further details.

Previous to working with CID, Wright worked with Troop C, which covers that area. "We rarely had contact with anyone at that location," he said when asked whether State Police had responded to this area before. "We would know when there were events at the clubhouse." He could not say whether there have been any recent calls to the clubhouse.

Wright said investigators were on scene until about 4 a.m. Friday and were headed back there mid-morning.

State Police are asking anyone who was in the vicinity of Route 23 between Canaan and Hinckley late Thursday afternoon into the evening to call them at 1-800-452-4664.