Woman shot, seriously injured at Rohnert Park motel

Police are looking for a man suspected of shooting a woman he was paying for sex, they say, at a Motel 6 in Rohnert Park early Thursday morning.

The victim, an unidentified 24-year-old woman from Sacramento, was being treated for multiple gunshot wounds sustained during a 2 a.m. encounter at the Commerce Boulevard motel, police said. She was still hospitalized and unable to speak Thursday evening, so officers were unable to talk with her about what led to the shooting.

Witnesses saw a man flee the area on foot shortly after the shooting, and he remained at large Thursday, Rohnert Park police said.

However, officers arrested Alton Emanuel Stewart, 24, of Sacramento on suspicion of pimping and committing a felony while out on bail. He was staying with the woman at the hotel and was coming to help her when the suspected shooter hit him on the head while running from the room, police said.

Police Commander Pat Strouse?said described the shooter as a large African-American male, around 30 years old, wearing only blue jeans and boots.

Police are seeking help in identifying the shooting suspect and released a surveillance photo they says shows the man walking into the motel parking lot. It is time-stamped 1:40 a.m.

They also released photos of clothing the fleeing shooter left behind, including Bulgari eyeglasses; a black, hooded, zip-up sweatshirt with a Polo label; and a black Hidden Hype T-shirt bearing the phrase “Brilliant Minds” above a field of stars spelling out HH on the back.

Strouse said he did not know how long the woman had been at the motel, but said the pair had been inside a ground-floor room when the shooting began. It appeared at least one shot also was fired around the door threshold.

The woman was said to have been shot in and around the motel room, suggesting she may have tried to flee. Motel personnel declined to be interviewed, and two women in a room that appeared to be part of the crime scene waved away a reporter Thursday afternoon.

They later appeared to examine a mark on a tree several feet away from the doorway.

The room where the shooting occurred lets out onto a parking lot. Police said they searched the area for the shooter without success. No weapon had been recovered, Strouse said.

The victim’s name has not been released because of concern for her safety while the shooter is being sought, Strouse said. Police ask anyone with information pertinent to the investigation to call Detective Debbie LaMaison at (707) 588-3536.

Staff Writer Jamie Hansen contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at ?521-5249 or mary.callahan@?pressdemocrat.com.