Gualala man arrested on suspicion of shooting his father

An 18-year-old Gualala man was arrested Sunday, suspected of hitting his father in the head with a shovel and shooting him in the chest a day earlier, a Mendocino County sheriff’s official said.

Acea Henderson was booked into the county jail on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. His 47-year-old father, Eugene Henderson, was listed in stable condition at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Saturday’s suspected assault was part of an ongoing dispute between father and son, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies initially responded to their Gualala home in the 38000 block of South Highway 1 on Friday regarding an assault by the son against his father, Sheriff’s Lt. Shannon Barney said in a news release. At that time, Eugene Henderson refused to cooperate in prosecuting a case against his son, Barney said.

Deputies returned the following day after a shooting was reported at the home about 8:20 p.m. They found that an argument between the two men had escalated. The son struck his father with a shovel and then broke out a window in his father’s vehicle and removed a .22-caliber rifle, Barney said.

The suspect fired at least one shot, which struck his father in the upper chest, came out through his armpit and lodged in his left bicep. Acea Henderson put down the rifle and told a witness he would wait for law enforcement but left before deputies arrived, Barney said.

Another family member took the injured Henderson to Redwood Coast Medical Services Clinic, where he was initially treated for his gunshot wounds.

A witness, who feared Acea Henderson would return and resume shooting, hid the rifle in the house, Barney said. Henderson soon returned to look for it, but walked away after failing to find the weapon.

Deputies were unable to find Henderson despite an extensive search of the area, Barney said.

About 10 a.m. Sunday, deputies located him at a Pacific Woods Road home in Gualala and arrested him without incident, Barney said.

Henderson was held at Mendocino County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.