SOMERSET, Pa. — The man shot dead with a compound bow Sunday was caught on the wrong end of a violent love triangle, his family said.
Days after 43-year-old Tony Bittinger’s death, it left them wishing they would have been able to pull him out of it before the bloodshed in front of a Reels Corner area home.
In an incident that remains under investigation by state police, Bittinger’s grieving family maintains the Boynton man was shot seconds after approaching the house by the home’s occupant, a 38-year-old Stonycreek Township man they identified as Carl Woolley.
“Tony got out of the car, and within seconds, he was shot,” said Kevin Bittinger, adding that he watched the alleged assailant pick up the compound bow from the porch.
After a few seconds of shouting, an arrow struck Bittinger in the chest, he said.
For a moment, the men “tussled” with one another, the brother added.
“Then Tony pulled the arrow out and fell over dead. He took one last breath and that was it,” Kevin Bittinger said.
“I watched my brother dying right in front of me.”
Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller has ruled the death a homicide, but state police are continuing to investigate. As of Tuesday, no charges had been filed. They have also withheld the name of Bittinger’s alleged attacker.
State police investigators could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.
Somerset County District Attorney Jerry Spangler said he could not comment on the Bittinger family’s assertions because of an ongoing, active investigation.
“(Kevin) Bittinger was interviewed the night of the incident — as were others — and we’re in the process of looking at those statements and other information obtained in the investigation to (determine) how to proceed next,” he said, adding he could not offer a timetable, calling it “open-ended.”
Investigators have said Tony Bittinger arrived at the location around 4:45 p.m. Sunday with an unspecified weapon and then refused to leave the Route 30 property despite warnings.
Family said the Boynton-area man held a stick “about 2 feet long” that was a bit wider than a half-dollar in diameter.
Kevin Bittinger said he was unsure what was said between the two men — aside from the fact that both were yelling before the bow was fired.
It is unknown if a newly passed state law dubbed the “castle doctrine” could come into play in the case.
The law allows citizens the right to use deadly force as self-defense against attackers on their home or property and in their cars or on sidewalks, for example, without attempting to retreat beforehand — a previous stipulation.
Members of the Bittinger family argued Tuesday that their brother was upset with Woolley — but in Kevin Bittinger’s words “never lifted the stick ... or drew up his fist.”
“He was about 4 feet away (from the porch) — and took one more step and then got shot,” he said.
Police have also said Bittinger was concerned about the Stonycreek Township man’s wife — and how she was being treated — but have not offered details into why.
Kevin Bittinger said his brother had been involved with the woman off and on for months and responded to a call for help, concerned she had been hurt.
Family told him to “move on” — to no avail, he added.
“He just couldn’t walk away,” the brother said.
Funeral arrangements for Bittinger are being handled by the Newman Funeral Home, Salisbury.
Visitation is scheduled from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, and a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Bittinger’s obituary shows.
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