El Cajon

A tax service representative was shot to death in her El Cajon office in the 2600 block of Fletcher Parkway on Thursday when a man in a neighboring office discharged his handgun, El Cajon police officials said.

Sherry Kay Lewis, 45, of Santee was sitting at her desk about 1:30 p.m. when a bullet tore through a dividing partition and struck her in the head, according to Lt. Robert Lein.

Police say an occupant of the neighboring business, Mike Degrado, had been showing his gun to an acquaintance and fired it at the wall, believing it to be empty.

Lewis was taken by Life Flight to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. No charges are pending at this time, Lien said, but the investigation is continuing.