THOMASVILLE — The victim in a 17-year-old missing-gun case is excited about the return of the firearm, but his imagination has him wondering.

The 10-mm automatic Colt Delta Elite was stolen from a former Thomasville business in 1989.

“It was stolen out of the case,” said Jay Flowers, who owned Bear Sports. “We thought we knew who took it, but we had no proof.”

Bear Sports, which was on East Pinetree Boulevard, closed about 15 years ago.

Unfortunately, Flowers said, the store’s surveillance equipment was not working when the theft occurred.

The Colt, which was found two years ago, was returned to Flowers Thursday.

Jason Shoudel, then a Thomas County Sheriff’s Office deputy, and fellow Deputy Chuck McDonald were dispatched May 27, 2004, to a domestic disturbance on U.S. 319 South, where shots had been fired.

A boyfriend and girlfriend got into a fight. The woman left and went to a neighbor’s house. The boyfriend was not far behind.

The homeowner, who had firearms in the house, took one of the weapons outside and fired a shot, Shoudel said.

“He fired the shot in the air recklessly,” Shoudel, now a sheriff’s office investigator, explained.

A check of the firearm’s serial number showed it had been reported stolen from Bear Sports 15 years earlier.

Since the Colt was found two years ago, it has been with the evidence custodian at the Jail-Justice Center.

Flowers was stunned when he received word the firearm would be returned. He remains baffled by the episode.

Flowers said Friday he wonders how the Colt was used during the 17 years it was out of his possession. He wonders if it might have been used in crimes, even if it might have killed someone.

“It has been well-used,” he explained.