Wounded man facing charges

By BRENT SHRUM Western News Reporter

A Eureka man wounded in a Dec. 18 shootout in the Eureka police station remains hospitalized and is facing charges of attempted homicide, assault on a peace officer and criminal endangerment, according to Lincoln County Attorney Bernie Cassidy.

Mark Nelson, 55, was shot twice in the thigh and once in the abdomen and suffered a lacerated liver and a broken femur. According to court documents, Nelson had entered the police station through a side door that had been opened for an ambulance crew preparing to transport his daughter — who was in custody on assault charges — to a mental health facility for an evaluation. Nelson is accused of pointing a shotgun at ambulance personnel and firing a round of buckshot that hit a door jamb near Eureka police officer Ian Jeffcock, who had commanded Nelson to back away. Jeffcock returned fire with five rounds from his handgun, and Nelson fired a slug round that also hit the door jamb before he fell to the floor. Of the two rounds from Jeffcock's gun that missed Nelson, one hit a vending machine and the other went through the door and hit one of the ambulance's tires.

Nelson's daughter, Jennifer Nelson, 24, remains in custody on two felony counts of assault on a peace officer, one felony count of making a threat in official manners, and a misdemeanor count of assault with bodily fluids. Also in custody is Christopher Showen, 25, who is accused of helping plot the assault on the police station. He is charged with conspiracy to commit assault with a weapon and tampering with evidence.

According to an affidavit filed in district court, the incident began with an apparent disturbance centering on Jennifer Nelson at the Eureka VFW club around 5:30 p.m.

Jennifer Nelson is alleged to have used profane and abusive language and

to have fought with the law enforcement officers who arrested her. Also involved in the disturbance were Nelson's father and Showen — with whom she was involved in a relationship — who were initially cited for disorderly conduct and released from custody after about an hour. Over the course of that hour, Jennifer Nelson continued to spit at officers and threaten to kill them and family members, court documents contend.

Mark Nelson returned to the station with the shotgun about 20 minutes after his release from custody. When he was commanded by Jeffcock to back away, his daughter shouted at him to "Kill the f——s," according to the affidavit.

Shortly after the shooting, officers found Showen sitting in the front passenger seat of a car that was parked, running, near the police station. He was taken into custody without incident. According to the affidavit, officers found a loaded handgun, shotgun and hunting rifle within Showen's reach along with 15 to 20 shotgun rounds and 50 to 100 handgun rounds on his person.