Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Nov. 5, 2022, at about 12:14 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Elk Camp Fire Station near Orick for the report of a gunshot victim.

At the station, deputies contacted a 21-year-old female victim who was being treated by emergency medical personnel for gunshot wounds to her lower legs. The victim was accompanied by an adult female and 37-year-old Troy Simon Fletcher Jr. According to the two, the group was reportedly driving along Bald Hills Road when their vehicle encountered a bump in the roadway. Immediately following the bump, a loaded firearm stored underneath the backseat of the vehicle reportedly discharged, injuring the victim.  

The victim was transported to a local hospital and is expected to survive her injuries.

During a search of the vehicle, deputies located two loose firearms and ammunition inside. Fletcher was found to be a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms. He was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)(1)) and prohibited person in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(a)).

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.