Suspect charged as prosecutors say Cal Anderson shooting that sent man to hospital was accident

A 29-year-old man faces felony charges after an accidental shooting at Cal Anderson Park left his friend “bleeding profusely” from the leg earlier this month, according to King County Superior Court charging documents.

Prosecutors charged Mark Paul with third-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

CHS reported here on the Monday night, August 10th shooting along Nagle Place next to the park’s basketball courts.

While standing beside a parked SUV containing an adult and two children, Paul allegedly attempted to clear a handgun by racking the slide, according to the charges. The weapon reportedly discharged into the ground, sending a bullet fragment into the leg of a man he was talking with. The victim suffered heavy bleeding and was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

Paul fled the scene on foot and was arrested a few hours later after a witness spotted him outside an E Pike Street smoke shop. Authorities noted Paul was legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple past felony convictions, including first-degree robbery, and had more than 20 prior warrants.

Police say the handgun from the shooting was not recovered.

The charging documents reveal other details of the case including how a woman driving a white SUV was detained downtown after police followed her vehicle leaving the scene with an adult and two children inside. Officers found an unfired bullet in her vehicle and determined probable cause to arrest her for reckless endangerment and third-degree driving with a suspended license. The woman said she was the suspect’s girlfriend but claimed he had not been the vehicle the night of the shooting.

It is still unclear if there was a second shooting victim at Harborview on the night from a separate incident or if there was confusion about the man accidentally shot by Paul. CHS has been unable to learn more from the authorities about the second report at the emergency room.

Paul pleaded not guilty at his August 18 arraignment, where a judge denied a motion to reduce his $25,000 bail. He remains jailed with a trial scheduled for October.