Former San Diego Executive's Alleged Shooting Spree Leaves 2 Injured
Estranged wife says that she is lucky to be alive.
Sept. 24, 2013 — -- The estranged wife of a former San Diego biotech executive who was accused last week of injuring two people in a shooting rampage, said she was lucky to be alive, and that one of his bullets was meant for her.
Hans Peterson, 49, walked into court for his arraignment on Friday, his face battered and bruised, only to have his court hearing delayed. Police said that his injuries were the result of a shooting spree he went on last Wednesday.
Peterson's wife, Bonnie Fletcher, said the man she was married to for 12 years eventually became angry and volatile and their marriage crumbled.
"He's brilliant. He's supersmart," Bonnie Fletcher said of her husband.
The former executive was accused of wounding two people in a shooting spree that began in the middle of the night. Authorities said he first went to the home of a former business associate, 53-year-old Steven Dowdy, and shot him. Four hours later and a half-mile away, police said Peterson shot his wife's brother in his home.
Ronald Fletcher, 43, told police he managed to grab the gun from Peterson and hit him over the head with it. Bonnie Fletcher said she believed the bullets were also meant for her.
"If I were there I would not be sitting here today," she said.
Fletcher said her husband began to change about two years ago, when he stopped taking medication prescribed to him after a sky diving accident years earlier. According to court documents, Fletcher said her husband also "went into an emotional tailspin and a depression" after losing his job.
"I have keys to 10 different people's houses," she said. "I stay at different people's houses and move around."
Fletcher said she was still in disbelief over her husband's actions, but is grateful for her brother.
"I'm kind of numb," she said. "My brother Ron took a bullet for me, he really did."
Both shooting victims are expected to survive. In the meantime, Peterson is being held without bail on suspicion of attempted murder. Formal charges -- including possible attempted murder counts -- are expected to be filed.
