Police are investigating the death of a West Hempfield Township man who was found Dec. 13 unconscious outside his apartment. West Hempfield police are investigating, in conjunction with Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman’s office.
Officers were dispatched to the 3500 block of Marietta Avenue that morning at 4:47 a.m.
There, they found 55-year-old James Bryan, face down and unconscious, at his residence, with an obvious wound to his right eye. A pellet gun owned by Bryan was found at his feet.
Mr. Bryan died two days later. An autopsy performed Wednesday revealed he died due to injuries from a .177-caliber pellet shot that entered his brain. A determination on the manner of death hasn’t been made. This has not been ruled a homicide.
Local family members have been notified of Bryan’s death.
Police continue to conduct interviews and gather evidence. Anyone with information regarding Bryan’s death is urged to contact West Hempfield police at 717-285-5191. We are specifically interested in information about Bryan’s recent activities, contacts, and state of mind.
At this point, we aren’t releasing information beyond this release, so to preserve the integrity of the active investigation.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us;
Twitter: @BrettHambright