A 49-year-old Elk Grove man was injured by shotgun pellets while investigating gunfire at his father’s property in Siskiyou County, leading to the arrest of a nearby resident, authorities said.
The incident happened Sept. 5 in the Mount Shasta Vista area, near Karina Drive and County Road A-12. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office was alerted after Baojue Lin arrived at Fairchild Medical Center in Yreka for treatment of birdshot injuries.
According to investigators, Lin was preparing breakfast at his father’s property at about 10:30 a.m. when his dogs began barking. He then heard gunfire outside.
Lin went out to see what was happening and was struck by several shotgun pellets. The birdshot hit multiple areas of his body, including his head, face, shoulder and torso. Rather than waiting for emergency responders, Lin drove himself to the medical center, where deputies later spoke with him.
Lin told investigators he did not see who fired the shots. He did, however, point deputies toward a neighboring property where two brothers lived and said he believed one of them could have been responsible.
Deputies then went to the nearby property and contacted 39-year-old Russell Asher of Montague.
Investigators said Asher acknowledged firing several rounds after Lin’s dog moved toward his property line. Asher also gave deputies a different account of the confrontation, saying he fired at Lin because Lin had allegedly been shooting at him with a handgun.
Authorities searched both properties as they investigated the competing accounts. According to the sheriff’s office, investigators did not find evidence supporting Asher’s claim that Lin had fired a handgun at him.
Deputies did find Asher’s firearm along with spent shotgun ammunition that investigators said matched the rounds that struck Lin.
The investigation resulted in Asher’s arrest on suspicion of assault with a firearm and battery causing great bodily injury. He was booked into the Siskiyou County Jail.
The case began with what appeared to be a report of gunfire near neighboring rural properties, but investigators ultimately had to sort through two different accounts of what led to the shooting. The sheriff’s office’s findings regarding the alleged handgun fire were a key part of the investigation before the arrest.
As of the latest available reporting, the investigation and criminal case remain subject to the legal process, and the allegations against Asher have not been proven in court.
