hefley@heraldnet.com

MARYSVILLE — Prosecutors have charged a Bothell man with assault for firing a gun inside a shed.

Detectives suspect the violence was motivated by a drug deal gone bad. A Marysville man who was shot in the leg sold fake heroin to a woman, who later rounded up some friends to confront the dealer, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Edirin Okoloko wrote.

A handful of people were arrested in connection with the gunfire.

Duncan Bercier, 29, was charged with first-degree assault, burglary and unlawful gun possession. He is accused of being the shooter.

Bercier has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was being held on $500,000 bail.

Prosecutors argued for higher bail. They allege that since his arrest, Bercier has threatened to kill the victim to prevent him from cooperating with police.

Bercier was released in September 2014 after serving more than seven years for a pair of assault convictions. He earned his first felony at age 14.

Police initially believed that Bercier could be facing a life sentence under the state’s three-strikes law. A more careful review of his criminal history proved otherwise.

Witnesses told police that on July 23 Bercier joined a group of other people to get a woman’s money back after she was sold fake drugs.

The dealer wasn’t in the shed behind his grandparents’ home where he stays so they allegedly took his shoes and some electronics.

The group left but returned later. Two men, including Bercier, allegedly pulled guns on the man. He pulled an Airsoft pistol on them.

The man was pistol-whipped by both intruders, according to court papers. Bercier is accused of shooting him in the leg during a struggle over a gun. The victim ran from the shed and into his grandparents’ house, where police found him bleeding from two gunshot wounds.

The suspects fled the scene and dumped some of the stolen property.