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An employee of a local bar is in stable condition today after being shot early this morning inside the establishment. Two men were arrested in connection with the incident.
Police were called to Good Times on South Buffalo Street, Warsaw, at 1:21 a.m. and found Bruce Allen Smith, 42, of North Webster, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his chest and arm.
Smith was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, where he underwent surgery and is in stable condition, according to a Warsaw Police Department press release.
The shooting reportedly occurred about 1:15 a.m. after Billy Dean Little, 30, and Robert J. Little, 27, both of Columbia City, and a third man were refused service at the bar.
As Smith was following the threesome down a hallway to the front door, there apparently was an argument among the men, and Billy Little allegedly pulled out a small-caliber handgun and fired one shot. The Littles allegedly left the area in a vehicle that was stopped at 1:43 a.m. on Ind. 15 by officers from Warsaw and Winona Lake police departments, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police.
Billy Little was preliminarily charged with aggravated battery with a weapon, possession of a handgun by a felon and driving while intoxicated. Robert J. Little was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on a charge of public intoxication. Both are being held without bond. No charges were filed against the third man at this time.
The incident remains under investigation. Police noted that the charges against the men are preliminary and could be upgraded or added to pending further investigation and a review by the prosecutor's office.
