Coeur d’Alene Police are trying to determine whether there was malicious intent behind a Tuesday shooting that resulted in two people being injured by one gunshot.

“Detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, which was reported at approximately 3:30 a.m. on September 22,” the police said Wednesday. “The adult male involved in the shooting was initially detained and transported to the Police Department. Following the preliminary investigation, he was released pending further review.”

Residents of a Coeur d’Alene apartment complex were awakened early Tuesday morning to an altercation leading to a gunshot. Authorities said a man and woman had earlier returned to the apartment in the 200 block of 19th Street when “the pair was confronted by another male who also lived at the residence.”

“An argument ensued and escalated to the point that the male homeowner fired a single round that struck both victims,” police initially said.

Occupants and workers of the complex, which acts as a residential habilitation facility, told the Coeur d’Alene Press on Tuesday morning that the male suffered a gunshot wound in his upper chest, above the heart. At the same time, the female was shot in the hand.

Following the shooting, one of the facility workers applied pressure to the wounded male to help prevent further bleeding before medical assistance arrived. 

Both the man and woman were taken to Kootenai Health for treatment. 

Police are now determining whether the alleged assailant had acted in self-defense.

“Investigators are continuing to gather evidence and conduct interviews to determine what events led up to the shooting, including whether this was an act of self-defense,” police said. “The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information is available for release at this time.”