Detectives investigating an attempted matricide have located the gun that a 24-year-old man allegedly fired at his mother.

Casey Scott Carter was booked at the Jefferson County Jail around 5 a.m. on June 28 after he allegedly shot at Genevieve Short, his mother, as she was attempting to drive away on Discovery Road near Eddy Street. He is being held on bail of $250,000.

Washington State Patrol K-9 units were called to the scene to search for the gun, unsuccessfully.

But, on July 3, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Shane Stevenson and Port Townsend Police Detective Jon Stuart were told by an informant that Carter gave the gun to a friend the night of the shooting.

Around 2 a.m. the night of the shooting, Carter arrived at the home of friends, where he saw Dylan Kelly and Chantel Kitchen, wrote Stuart in a police report. Carter gave the gun to Kitchen and then left 10 to 15 minutes later.

According to police, Kitchen stated that Carter was acting frantic and hallucinating when he came over. In an interview with Stuart, she said Carter was laughing and crying and saying, “Oh my God, I shot my mom.”

Kitchen stated that she reached into his backpack and took the gun from him because he was acting frantic, and she did not want him going out and shooting someone else. Kitchen said Carter then left the residence on foot.

Acting police chief Troy Surber reported that on the night of the incident, Carter’s mother was driving when Carter pulled a handgun from his backpack and held it to his head. She stopped the van and ordered him out.

He got out and then fired the .38 caliber revolver into the rear window of the van as she drove away. The bullet shattered the rear window, and passed through the rear and front seats before it struck the victim. The bullet hit her shoulder, but did not penetrate her skin due to the loss of velocity. The bullet was found in the hood of her sweatshirt, Surber said.

The bullet did cause injury to the victim’s shoulder, Surber said, likely major bruising, but it was not life-threatening.

After his mother called 911, police swept the area in search of Carter. He was located walking west on Discovery Road near Arcadia Terrace, yelling and crying. Deputy Adam Newman and Officer DuMond detained Carter at gunpoint. While he was being arrested, two .38 caliber cartridges fell from his backpack onto the ground.

The gun, a Taurus 5 shot .38 stainless steel revolver with a wood handle, is registered to Carter’s grandfather. Detective Stuart reviewed jail phone calls between Carter and his grandfather in which Carter says he was not in his right mind the night of the shooting.

“He blames being high on meth and alcohol and not knowing what he was doing,” wrote Stuart in a report.

Carter was booked into custody and charged with attempted murder in the 2nd degree.

“Carter’s proficiency with the weapon and admitted experience support the fact that his actions had the intent to cause the death of his mother,” wrote DuMond in the probable cause statement. “A reasonable person with or without knowledge or proficiency with firearms does know that firing a .38 caliber handgun, aimed at a person, is a lethal action.”

The trial is set for Aug. 19-21 at the Jefferson County Courthouse. The pre-trial is Aug. 9 at 8:30 a.m.