La Mesa Man Shot Through Wall During Alleged Domestic Violence Incident

LA MESA, CA — A domestic violence suspect who shot a next-door neighbor and allegedly tried to shoot responding police officers in La Mesa this weekend was being held without bail, authorities said.

The La Mesa Police Department received a 911 call of ongoing domestic violence inside an apartment in the 8400 block of Buckland Street at 3:38 a.m. Saturday, which led to a single gunshot being fired, according to Lt. Scott Hildebrand.

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The 911 call came from a 51-year-old man next door who was shot in the head while asleep in his bed in a room with a shared wall, Hildebrand told City News Service. The victim, whose identity was not released, suffered a grazing wound and was ambulatory before he was taken to a hospital in an ambulance, Hildebrand said.

La Mesa police officers arrived moments later and approached the adjoining apartments, where the suspect, Trevor Alexander 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."

Officers from the Coronado, Harbor, National City, San Diego and El Cajon police departments responded to the police radio call at 3:45 a.m., along with California Highway Patrol officers and deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, Hildebrand told CNS.

"Shell abandoned his gun and fled on foot but was quickly captured and placed under arrest," Hildebrand added.

It took about 15 minutes to place Shell under arrest, police said. No shots were fired by law enforcement.

Hildebrand told CNS that officers checked on the original victim of domestic violence and found she was shaken, but physically unharmed. She was not hospitalized.

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 an area hospital to evaluate "his altered mental state," Hildebrand said.

After the hospital evaluation, Shell was booked into San Diego Central Jail shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of six felonies, including two counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a firearm and one count of making a criminal threat.

Arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in El Cajon Superior Court.