A La Plata County man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and domestic violence in connection with the shooting of his longtime girlfriend near Hermosa.
Levi James Hall, 34, was reportedly cleaning guns about 12:50 p.m. Thursday inside his mobile home at 32222 U.S. Highway 550 when a gun discharged. His girlfriend, Jessica Ann Bailey, 39, was hit in the back of the shoulder, according to an arrest affidavit.
Hall and Bailey gave conflicting accounts of the events leading up to the shooting.
Hall told sheriff’s deputies that Bailey accidentally shot herself while he was showing her how to clean the guns. When deputies asked to enter his home, he told them to come back with a warrant.
At the hospital, Bailey told a doctor that her boyfriend shot her. When asked by the doctor if the incident was in response to an argument or “out of nowhere,” Bailey responded, “both,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said the bullet went through Bailey’s upper left shoulder, likely entering from the back and exiting through her chest.
District Attorney Sean Murray said formal charges have not yet been determined.
Hall is scheduled back in court to face formal charges on July 31 in front of District Judge Suzanne Carlson.
epond@durangoherald.com
