Duncan man injured in shooting with Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office

Contributed Photo/Courtesy Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office: The Graham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Duncan on Sunday afternoon. A suspect was reportedly shot by a Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office deputy and flown to a Tucson hospital for treatment. 

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

DUNCAN – A Duncan man who was shot by a Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sunday afternoon was flown to Banner – University Medical Center Tucson for treatment of his injuries.

The man, identified as Shawn Kelly, 52, was reportedly given a notice of eviction from his “residence” Thursday. The residence is a building near the intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and State Route 75, and it is also where the alleged shooting took place.

According to a press release from the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch received a call at about 4:30 p.m. from a man who said Kelly had pulled a handgun and pointed it at him. The caller told the dispatch operator that Kelly appeared to be intoxicated.

At about 4:38 p.m., a Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived at the scene and was reportedly shot at by Kelly, according to the release.

The deputy returned fire and shot Kelly at least once. Greenlee County Sheriff Tim Sumner soon arrived at the scene and secured a rifle and Kelly, according to the release.

Another deputy arrived and, after the residence was cleared, Kelly was treated at the scene and then flown to UMC, where he reportedly underwent emergency surgery and was in critical condition as of Sunday night. The release noted that no authorities or others were injured in the shooting other than Kelly. 

According to a local merchant, Kelly has a long history of shooting guns while intoxicated and is described as being a “classic small-town misfit.”

The case is under investigation by the Graham County Sheriff’s Office.

The Gila Herald will update this article when possible.