Double Amputee Who Opened Fire In VA Committed For 25 Years

WEST PALM BEACH, FL — A double amputee who pulled a handgun from his wheelchair and opened fire inside a Florida VA medical center last year was committed Monday to 25 years of mental health care and treatment at a suitable medical facility.

Sixty-year-old Larry Ray Bon of Michigan struck two people, including a doctor. The physician was wounded while attempting to subdue Bon but survived, according to prosecutors.

“When U.S. military veterans walk through the doors of a VA medical clinic for healing, they should feel comfort and hope, not fear of violence,” U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan in Miami said following the judge's order.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra also ordered Bon to reappear in federal court if at any time during his commitment, it is determined Bon no longer needs treatment. At that time, a federal judge will sentence Bon to a prison term of between 12.5 to 25 years under a provisional sentence agreement jointly recommended by prosecutors and the defense.

“As detailed in the plea agreement and subsequent sentence, Bon’s dangerous actions injured VA employees and risked the safety and well-being of veterans," Special Agent in Charge David Spilker of the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General said in response to the sentence.

The incident occurred at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center in February of 2019. The facility is located at 7305 North Military Trail in Riviera Beach, Florida, less than five miles from West Palm Beach.

The doctor's swift action was praised at the time by the FBI who said the physician "probably saved a lot of lives today."

An FBI spokesman said one person was minimally injured when he was grazed by a bullet. The doctor was shot in the neck and survived.

Bon pleaded guilty in March to three counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal employees and one count of possession of a firearm in a federal facility with intent to commit a crime.

The FBI spokesperson described Bon at the time of the incident as possibly homeless with a criminal history and frequent contacts with local police.

"The shooter is a double amputee. He's missing his legs from the knee down so he's confined to a wheelchair, an electric wheelchair," the FBI spokesperson said at the time. "During the shooting, in between shots, the doctor saw an opportunity to jump on the subject and disarm him. ... While doing so, he sustained the gunshot wound to his neck."

Bon served in the U.S. Army for a short period during the 1970s but was not believed to have been injured in the service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Susan Osborne and Rinku Tribuiani prosecuted this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Croke is handling the asset forfeiture aspects of the case.