Hempfield man jailed after shot fired during struggle over gun

A Hempfield man accused of wielding a shotgun that fired during a struggle with a woman over the weapon is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond.

Jared Wesley Wallak, 29, was arrested Friday on charges of aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, simple assault and harassment.

State police were called to a Route 819 home near the border of Hempfield and Mt. Pleasant townships at 11 p.m. after Wallak reported the weapon being fired.

Troopers found a damaged door, an ax and hatchet in the kitchen, shotgun shells outside and in a bedroom and shotgun pellet holes in the refrigerator and a wall, according to court papers. A woman at the home told police Wallak was drunk and threatened to kill her and himself.

When Wallak went outside with the gun, she locked him out but he broke the door and came inside pointing the weapon at her, according to court papers. Police said the pair struggled over it and the weapon fired, hitting the refrigerator. She tried to wrest the gun away from him but was unsuccessful, according to court papers. She was able to flee and returned once police arrived.

Wallak gave investigators several versions of what happened, at one point claiming the woman fired the gun at him. Police say he was intoxicated when they spoke with him. No injuries were reported.

Wallak did not have an attorney listed in online court records. He was denied bond to ensure the safety of the accuser, according to online records. He did not have a publicly available criminal history in Pennsylvania.

A Sept. 15 preliminary hearing is set.