A Bethlehem man is facing a firearms violation after firing a bullet from a handgun that went through his wall and into and through his neighbor’s apartment, narrowly missing a male occupant, according to police.

Naquan Mitchell, 20, of the 1300 block of Eastwood Road, is charged with felony discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

The neighboring apartment is occupied by four residents, court records indicate. However, it’s unclear if all four people were home at the time of the incident.

City police were dispatched around 8 p.m. Saturday for a reported shots fired at Mitchell’s apartment complex. A neighboring resident of Mitchell then reported the projectile coming through the kitchen wall of their apartment. Investigators found a hole in a wall and another entry location, where a projectile was lodged in the front wall, according to police.

Police said the trajectory and entry points investigated by officers matched the victim’s report of a projectile coming from Mitchell’s apartment. The entry and exit of the projectile additionally were several feet from where a male victim was seated in the neighboring apartment of Mitchell, police said.

Investigators went on to seize an empty 9-mm shell casing, as well as a live round of the same ammunition in Mitchell’s apartment, according to police. A sample from Mitchell’s hands taken at police headquarters showed gun residue, court records state.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Mitchell’s apartment, also seizing an empty gun safe and empty gun box, according to court records.

Mitchell was arraigned Sunday before District Judge Richard H. Yetter III, who set bail at $25,000. In lieu of bail, Mitchell initially was taken to Northampton County Prison. Court records, however, indicate Mitchell has since posted 10% of $25,000 bail.

No phone number was listed at Mitchell’s home address for comment. There also was no attorney information listed in court records for Mitchell.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

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