No jail time for man who shot neighbor through wall

trying to scare her,” per the a davit.

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BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Rather than being sentenced to prison, Mickel McLean, who accidentally shot his neighbor in the head through an apartment wall in Centennial, has been sentenced to ve years in community corrections.

e Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce arrested McLean, 28, on Oct. 2, 2021, after a gun he was holding went o during an argument with his girlfriend while in an apartment unit, according to the arrest a davit.

e bullet traveled through the apartment wall and into another unit, hitting a woman, Sally Strelecki, 29, in the back of her head, per the a davit. e bullet entered her brain cavity, exited her skull and lodged itself under the skin near her right temple.

She was taken to the Littleton Adventist Hospital, where she was in a coma. In late October 2021, she regained consciousness, CBS News reported.

McLean and his girlfriend originally told police that during their argument, the two of them had “started pulling on an armful of clothes” that McLean was carrying “when the gun accidentally went o ,” according to the arrest a davit.

However, police interviewed the girlfriend separately, and she said that McLean told her to tell the story of the accidental discharge of the gun, per the a davit.

e girlfriend said what really happened was that as she and McLean argued, he “charged” her as she stood in the closet and then struck her in the face, the a davit said.

She reportedly said McLean then exited the closet, grabbed a handgun and pointed it at her. McLean then allegedly red one shot in her direction. His girlfriend said she feels this was accidental and that “he was just e two continued to argue when he reportedly grabbed the handgun and struck his girlfriend in the area of her left knee, which he said caused the handgun to go o , according to the a davit. e division said o enders in community corrections reside in the program and are supervised “around the clock” by security and case management sta in the facility.

In a later interview with police, McLean reportedly said he was arguing with his girlfriend and they both allegedly “struck each other several times before both started to pack his belongings,” the a davit said.

“ e gun accidentally went o , but he did intentionally point the handgun at (his girlfriend),” the a davit said.

McLean was found guilty May 30 of several charges, including second-degree assault, third-degree assault, illegal discharge of a rearm and reckless endangerment, according to information provided by Eric Ross, a spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District.

On July 24, McLean was sentenced to a total of ve years in community corrections, with 139 days credit for time already served, Ross said via email. Restitution has been ordered and will be determined in less than 45 days.

Community corrections provides a sentencing alternative in lieu of prison incarceration for felony offenders, according to the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice.

“When signed out to the community for work, treatment, or privilege passes, their whereabouts are randomly veri ed by sta and they are subject to strict curfews to return to the facility,” the division said on its website.

For Sally Strelecki, although she is no longer on life support, her boyfriend said at the sentencing hearing that she still faces “signi cant ongoing physical injuries,” as reported by 9News.

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