1/6/2021- 8:21 p.m.
A man experiencing homelessness was about to go to sleep in his tent on New Year’s Day when a stranger tossed a tennis ball filled with explosives in his direction, Washington police and media outlets report.
He reached to grab the object, not knowing what it was, the Longview Police Department said in a news release.
“When it was lit, I made the mistake of picking it up and it blew off my hand,” Ron Turnboo told KGW.
Wounded and bleeding, Turnboo walked almost an hour to a hospital, police said.
He didn’t have a phone so he couldn’t call for help, according to a GoFundMe created to cover his living expenses while he recovers.
Once at the PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, he was sent to the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland to have his hand amputated, reported.
Police responded to the assault around 12:25 a.m. Jan. 1 after a witness told police they watched a man throw the explosive at Turnboo, police said in the release.
She wants to put the money toward paying for Turnboo’s rent for six months at a motel and cover food, clothing and transportation expenses, according to the fundraiser. She also hopes to raise enough money to transition him into an apartment for six months.
Officers followed a “trail of blood” to the hospital where they found him.
Corey Bartlette, 25, was arrested on second-degree assault and possession of a prohibited device, police said.
Although Turnboo’s injuries were severe, he is grateful to be alive. And he has a community rallying together to support him.
“I can still function. If I need anything, hey, I’m able to do it with one hand,” he told reporters. “It could have been somebody else. If I stayed in the area, over where I was and he threw another, that would’ve been it.”
Mandie Hart organized a GoFundMe to support Turnboo as he recovers from his injuries. She has raised more than $10,000 as of Jan. 6.
