Man who opened fire at Florida VA hospital committed to mental health facility, judge rules

Carli Teproff
·2 min read

The man who fired several shots inside a VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach last year and injured two employees will be committed to a mental health care and treatment center for 25 years, a federal judge decided Monday.

Larry Bon, 60, pleaded guilty 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 in March.

If it is determined that Bon is no longer in need of treatment before the 25 years is up, he would then reappear in front of a judge and could face up to 25 years in prison.

On Feb. 27, 2019, Bon, who is a double amputee, was in the emergency room at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center in Riviera Beach, 7305 N. Military Trail, when he pulled out a gun from his wheelchair. He was at the hospital for mental health treatment under Florida’s Baker Act.

According to court records, two doctors were injured in the shooting — one shot in the neck and the other in the buttocks. Both survived their injuries.

Bon, who is originally from Michigan, dropped out of high school and joined the military, the Palm Beach Post reported at the time of the incident. He was honorably discharged after he got sick during basic training, according to the paper.

Under Monday’s sentence, Bon will be in custody of the U.S. Attorney General as he receives treatment. The law allows a judge to commit a person if he or she “finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect and that he should, in lieu of being sentenced to imprisonment, be committed to a suitable facility...”

“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,” Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a news release Monday. “We are committed to protecting our cherished veterans and the dedicated employees of the South Florida VA medical clinics who treat them.”