Mendocino County sheriff’s detectives investigate suspected family altercation

A man was shot in the back and a woman was struck by a baseball bat in an altercation at a large party in Covelo early Sunday, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said.

At 3:56 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a shooting in the 100 block of Tabor Lane in Covelo. Deputies learned a 55-year-old man had been shot, possibly with a shotgun, in the lower back and a 21-year-old woman had been struck with a baseball bat, the Sheriff’s Office said in a prepared statement.

Both victims were transported to Frank R. Memorial Hospital in Willits for treatment. Detectives met them at the hospital, but found them uncooperative, the Sheriff’s Office said. The victims were in stable condition and are expected to recover.

Detectives eventually learned a large party had occurred at a property on Tabor Lane, where multiple family members live. During the party, several women - perhaps related - became involved in a physical altercation, where one person claimed the other had struck her with a baseball bat, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Additional relatives, from another residence, came outside, possibly to intervene. During this altercation, several rifle shots were fired, one of which struck the 55-year-old victim in the back, the Sheriff’s Office said.

All the people detectives interviewed denied knowing who had fired the weapon, and the weapon wasn’t located in a search of the area. No arrests have been made and the case is still under investigation.