Oak Harbor City Councilwoman Tara Hizon became a victim of gun violence earlier this month.

She heard noises outside her home just before 1 a.m. on Sept. 19, went to investigate and she found a stranger standing near her car. The man, who appeared drunk and unsteady, pointed a gun directly at her, according to a police report on the incident.

Fearing for her life, she ran back inside, locked the door and called 911.

One of the officers who responded found the suspect, identified as Shan Duffus, 21, of Oak Harbor, stumbling in the roadway blocks away.

Duffus was armed with a loaded handgun, the police report states.

Prosecutors charged Duffus, a member of the Navy, in Island County Superior Court Sept. 22 with second-degree assault. He could face from three to nine months in jail if convicted of the charge.

Duffus is being held in jail on $50,000 bail.

Hizon said she couldn’t speak about the case in detail because it’s unresolved. She said it was frightening and “pretty surreal.”

She had nothing but praise for the police department.

“The officers who responded were just exceptional,” she said. “They were excellent.”

Hizon said she received calls from Capt. Michael Nortier, commanding officer of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, and the CO of Duffus’ squadron soon after the incident. They expressed concern for her welfare and apologized for what happened.

An officer placed Duffus into his car and conducted a “drive by” with Hizon for suspect identification. She said she was “75 percent sure” he was the man who pointed the gun at her.

According to the police reports, Hizon said the man smelled of alcohol and was “stumbling around in an unsteady firing position.” She described the handgun as having “a square barrel,” which matched the 40-caliber semiautomatic pistol that Duffus was carrying in the small of his back, the police reported.

The gun was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber.

Duffus had a valid concealed weapons permits, according to court documents.