Authorities Find Gunshot Victim, Passenger Zip-Tied In Car After Reported Shooting

NEVADA COUNTY (CBS13) — A reported shooting in Nevada City early Tuesday morning left one person with a gunshot wound to the hand.

Nevada County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of a shooting in a residence around 2:25 a.m. Tuesday on the 12000 block of North Bloomfield Road. Deputies saw a white male adult drive away on a dirt bike. They engaged in a shot pursuit but stopped because of dangerous conditions.

While deputies were responding to the house, a Grass Valley police officer saw a vehicle driving quickly and recklessly in the area and pulled the vehicle over. The driver, 56-year-old Eric Moffatt, shouted to the officer that his passenger had been shot. Moffatt was escorted to Sierra Nevada Hospital, where the passenger was treated for a gunshot wound to the hand. The victim was eventually transported to UC Davis Hospital for treatment.

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Police officers reportedly found another passenger in the vehicle parked at the emergency room. The passenger was zip-tied on the rear passenger floorboard under blankets. Police said the passenger was not injured and was assessed at the hospital.

Investigators said an argument took place at the residence on North Bloomfield Road, and during that argument, Moffatt discharged a shotgun on two separate occasions. One of those rounds struck the victim's hands.

The sheriff's office is still investigating this incident.

Anyone with information that may be relevant to this case is encouraged to call the Nevada County Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit at (530)265-1263.