A domestic violence suspect who shot a next door neighbor and allegedly tried to shoot responding police officers was taken into custody in La Mesa early Saturday morning, authorities said.
The La Mesa Police Department received a 911 call of ongoing domestic violence inside an apartment on Buckland Street near Parkway Drive around 3:38 a.m. Saturday, which led to a single gunshot being fired, according to Lt. Scott Hildebrand.
The 911 call came from a 51-year-old man next door who was shot in the head while asleep in his bed next to a shared wall, Hildebrand said. The man, whose identity was not released, suffered a grazing wound and was taken to the hospital, Hildebrand said.
La Mesa police officers arrived moments later and approached the adjoining apartments, where the suspect, Trevor Shell, 31, was waiting outside.
“He immediately raised a handgun, pointed it at the officers and pulled the trigger, but the suspect’s firearm apparently malfunctioned,” Hildebrand said. “The officers took cover and summoned emergency assistance from allied law enforcement agencies.”
“Shell abandoned his gun and fled on foot but was quickly captured and placed under arrest,” Hildebrand added.
Hildebrand said that officers checked on the original victim of domestic violence and found she was shaken, but physically unharmed.
Shell continued to physically resist during his arrest and also while in custody, authorities said. He was placed in a full-body restraint and taken to the hospital to evaluate “his altered mental state,” Hildebrand said.
Police said Shell will be booked into San Diego County Jail after he is released from the hostpial where he will face multiple charges related to domestic violence, the shooting of Shell’s neighbor and the attempted shooting of a police officer.