NEVADA CITY, Calif. September 3, 2019 – At around 2:25 AM this morning, deputies were called to the 12000 block of North Bloomfield Road after a shooting was reported at a residence in the area. While deputies and officers were responding to the area, a Grass Valley police officer spotted a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and driving recklessly. The GVPD officer attempted a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle, and the vehicle ultimately yielded on Sutton Way. A man, later identified as Eric Moffatt, shouted from the front seat of the vehicle that his passenger had been shot. The police officer escorted Moffatt’s vehicle to Sierra Nevada Hospital, where the passenger was assessed for a gunshot injury to the hand. As deputies arrived on scene on North Bloomfield Road, a white male adult fled from deputies on a dirt bike. A short pursuit ensued until the conditions required deputies to discontinue their pursuit.
Grass Valley police officers approached the vehicle at the emergency room and found another passenger zip-tied on the rear passenger floorboard under a pile of blankets. The zip-tied passenger was not injured, and was ultimately assessed and later released from the hospital. The victim of the shooting was ultimately transported to UC Davis Hospital due to the severity of injuries to the hand.
Our investigation has indicated an argument took place at the residence on North Bloomfield Road. We believe that during the argument, Eric Moffatt, 56, from Smartsville, discharged a shotgun on two separate occasions – one round struck the victim’s hand. The victim’s hand injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
This investigation is ongoing. 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.