‘Ambush style’ shooting in Lacey left man in critical condition, court records say
A 31-year-old Olympia man accused of shooting a man at a Lacey motel Saturday is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $200,000 bail.
Andrew Devon Shelton attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court Tuesday.
The shooting occurred at a motel near the corner of Martin Way East and College Street Southeast. On Sunday, Lacey police arrested Shelton on suspicion of first-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment and reckless endangerment. Court records and a Wednesday update from the Lacey Police Department gave additional information about what allegedly led to the shooting and subsequent investigation.
Police allege Shelton shot and seriously injured a 54-year-old man over a dispute involving the man’s adult stepson and the adult stepson’s girlfriend.
“The victim remains in the hospital,” the update Lacey police posted on social media said. “Great work to everyone who worked this case for getting the suspect in custody quickly!”
Judge John Skinder set the bail amount Tuesday after finding probable cause for first-degree assault.
Skinder also barred Shelton from contacting any of the three victims or the wounded man’s family.
Court records indicate Shelton has no adult criminal history nor any other open court cases. Prosecutors have not yet charged him with a crime. If they do, he’s scheduled to be back in court for his arraignment on Feb. 24.
The investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Shelton from the perspective of law enforcement.
Prosecutors file these statements with the court to help judges decide whether to find probable cause and set conditions of release. The following is a summary of the statement for this case:
Lacey police responded to the motel after someone reported a disturbance.
Officers found the 54-year-old man with a gunshot wound through his back and rendered first aid. Medics transported him to Providence St. Peter Hospital where he later underwent surgery.
The man lost a spleen, suffered stomach damage and lost a “significant amount of blood,” according to the statement. He reportedly remained in critical condition after surgery.
At the scene of the shooting, officers found two bullets that struck the motel walls, one of which passed through the wounded man. A guest told officers they heard a gun racking before the shots were fired.
Officers found two spent 9 mm shell casings in a planter on the east side of the property.
Officers learned the wounded man had rented a room for his stepson and the stepson’s girlfriend for the past few days.
The couple allegedly told police an unknown assailant shot the 54-year-old as the three of them were preparing to leave the motel. The couple said they took cover during the shooting and ran away from the gunfire.
Detectives reviewed video footage from the motel and the surrounding area to piece together what happened.
The video allegedly showed Shelton meet the girlfriend at the motel and follow her into a motel room. Shelton later exited the unit without his shoes and only wearing a white tank top, the statement said, and left the motel in an older truck at about 8:41 p.m.
Shelton allegedly returned at about 8:58 p.m. on foot and returned to the motel room to retrieve his clothing. The video reportedly showed him holding what police believe to be firearm.
Detectives interviewed the girlfriend, who allegedly told a detective that she met Shelton at the hotel for a date that she arranged through a European website.
She alleged Shelton attempted to rob her once inside the motel room and then threatened to kill her as she attempted to leave, the statement said. She allegedly said she managed to open the front door and Shelton ran away without all his clothes.
The girlfriend allegedly went on to say that Shelton called back several times to demand his clothing back, and that she put the clothing outside the door and called him to retrieve it.
The shooting allegedly happened after he retrieved his clothes. Video footage from the scene showed Shelton firing from across the parking lot in an “ambush style” shooting, according to the statement.
The girlfriend provided detectives with Shelton’s phone number, the statement said, which allowed them to identify him. Once identified, detectives said they confirmed his home address and registered vehicle.
The vehicle appeared to match the truck seen in the video and his driver license photo appeared to match the person in the video, the statement said.
Lacey police arrested Shelton Sunday during a traffic stop as he left his apartment. They accessed his apartment and truck with a search warrant. Detectives recovered his cell phone, a 9 mm handgun and clothing he was seen wearing in the video footage, court records said.
