Popular pianist shot in Milton New Year's Eve

A popular local pianist was shot in the abdomen on New Year's Eve in Milton.

The Milton Police Department responded to a shooting in the 500 block of Union Street around 5:15 p.m. Dec. 31. A male victim suffering a single gunshot wound to the torso was transported to Beebe Medical Center by ambulance, according to Chief Derrick Harvey.

A "possible suspect" was found by state police troopers sitting in a vehicle in a wooded area of Burton Road, Harvey said, and transported to a local hospital. He did not say why.

Harvey did not name the victim or the suspect, but Terri Hoggan-Gratton confirmed her son, Mark A. Gratton, was the victim in a Facebook post.

"His girlfriend, Teresa, and I are in contact with the ICU staff and she was able to FaceTime with him after they took him off the ventilator," Hoggan-Gratton wrote Jan. 2.

According to a GoFundMe Hoggan-Gratton set up to help her son with medical bills, Gratton had emergency surgery and part of his colon and small bowel were removed.

The GoFundMe had raised over $20,000 as of Jan. 4.

More:Milton Theatre closes indefinitely: 'This time we just can't give people an answer'

More:Police chase ATV through Georgetown, Bridgeville man arrested

Gratton has been a piano teacher for 20 years and has over 30 students, according to his website. Many on Facebook recognized him from playing in and around Milton at venues like The Fox Hole and Sydney's.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with Delaware State Police assisting the Milton Police Department.