Stratford man jailed for shooting himself

STRATFORD -- Turns out a local man, who claimed he was the victim of a shooting by a Bridgeport gang, actually made poor choice of having a loaded gun in his waistband while out bicycling.

But Wendell Docteur's poor choice has turned out to be a prescription for jail time.

On Thursday, the 22-year-old Docteur, of Hollister Street, was charged with making a false statement, unlawful discharge of a firearm and failure to report a lost firearm.

Docteur, who later posted a $10,000 bond, didn't return calls for comment. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court on Sept. 5.

On May 3, police were notified by Bridgeport Hospital staff that they were treating Docteur for a gunshot wound to the right leg.

Police said Docteur told them he had been out riding his bicycle on California Street when he was confronted by a half dozen men, dressed all in black with hooded sweatshirts covering their faces.

He said the men demanded his money and then shot him. As they fled they yelled, "North End, North End," which Docteur told police he took to mean they were a gang from the North End of Bridgeport.

But police said Docteur's story just didn't smell right.

Despite insisting he was shot at, police said they could only find a bullet exit hole from his pants.

When they confronted Docteur with this discrepancy, they said he admitted he had accidentally shot himself while riding.

Although Docteur has a pistol permit, police said he couldn't account for the handgun he had shot himself with.

dtepfer@ctpost.com; 203-330-6308; http:// twitter.com/dantepfer