NewsLocal News

Actions

Woman in critical condition after being shot through apartment wall in Centennial

Sally Rose Strelecki_3.jpeg
Posted at 12:27 PM, Oct 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-08 19:21:48-04

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A man was arrested after allegedly shooting his gun into an apartment wall, striking a woman in the other unit.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday at 11:45 a.m., they received a call about a shooting at an apartment along the 6800 block of S. Ivy Way in Centennial. Around the same time, a second call came in about the shooting.

In the second call, a man — later identified as Mickel McLean, 26 — said his gun accidentally went off and the bullet went through the apartment wall. He said he had been involved in an argument and had been holding the gun, according to the sheriff's office.

A woman in the adjacent apartment was struck and transported to a nearby hospital. She is in critical condition.

Amy Graham said the woman struck is her daughter, 27-year-old Sally Rose Strelecki. Strelecki was in the kitchen preparing food for her pets when the stray bullet struck her in the back of the head. Her fiancé was in the living room watching TV at the time.

Graham said Strelecki underwent surgery and is in a medically induced coma and she has been close to death twice.

"It’s been devastating. It’s been devastating. Our world is devastated. She’s not at this time in good shape; I’ve been told it’s very grim," said Graham, who said her daughter is a former CU Boulder student trying to achieve a medical career.

Speaking to Denver7 Thursday, she called for gun reform.

"I’m not against guns. Guns have a purpose in situations but you have got to be responsible with them, you have to be responsible with them so this doesn’t happen like it happened to my baby girl," Graham said. "Something has to be done."

Sally Rose's older sister, Emma Strelecki, also spoke with Denver7 through tears, as she remembered details about growing up together, including teaching Sally Rose how to ride a bike.

"I just don’t understand how she can be in her kitchen making food for her pets and then all of a sudden get shot in the head. You are supposed to be safe at home. I don’t understand," said Emma. "Apparently you aren't safe in your own home anymore."

The family says their biggest concerns now are her medical bills and her rent. A GoFundMe page started Friday by the fiancé’s family members said Strelecki had undergone two surgeries and is in a medically induced coma.

HOW TO HELP: To help the family through Denver7 Gives, click here and choose “Support Stray Bullet Victim” from the drop down menu.

Earlier Thursday, the Araphoe County Sheriff's Office said McLean was cooperative with investigators and was arrested at the scene on Saturday.

He was booked into the Arapahoe County Jail on suspicion of first-, second- and third-degree assault, illegal discharge of a firearm, felony menacing and reckless endangerment. He is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond.

McLean_Mickel logo.jpg

In an arrest affidavit, authorities said McLean and his girlfriend both stated they had been arguing.

The girlfriend said McLean told her to tell a story about the gun accidentally discharging, but that didn't happen. She told investigators that they were arguing in their bedroom and McLean charged her as she stood in the closet, and then hit her face. The investigator noted small scrapes on the inside of her top and bottom lip, according to the affidavit. After striking her, he grabbed a gun and pointed it at her from eight feet away and fired in her direction. The girlfriend said she felt this was accidental since he had done something similar a year prior, according to the affidavit.

At the sheriff's office, McLean said they had been arguing and they hit each other multiple times before both started to pack his belongings. He grabbed the handgun, struck his girlfriend near her knee, and that caused the gun to go off, he said, according to the affidavit.

The gun was recovered from McLean's apartment.

This is an open investigation. No other details were available Thursday morning.