ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE:

On 11-18-2011 at approximately 0258 Mendocino County Sheriffs Deputies were notified of a shooting incident which took place earlier in the morning in the Brooktrails area West of Willits,CA. Deputies contacted the victim who had received shotgun injuries to his legs. The victim advised it was an accident and he did not wish to explain in further detail.

On 11-18-2011 at approximately 0700 deputies received information from a source who advised them the victim’s injuries were not accidental. At the time of this report, sheriffs detectives are investigating the incident as a criminal act and further information shall be provided when available.

The victim is in stable condition.

UPDATED INFORMATION:

Since 11-18-2011 Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Detectives have continued their investigation into this incident.

Detectives have learned an eyewitness met the shooting victim during the evening hours of 11-17-2011 while the pair were at a local Willits area bar.  The shooting victim boosted about being a cultivator of marijuana and that he had made several hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of sales during the year. The eyewitness accompanied the shooting victim to a wooden cabin on a rural piece of property on Sherwood Road.

Upon arriving at the cabin, the eyewitness noticed the presence of growing marijuana in a greenhouse located adjacent to the cabin.  The eyewitness entered into the cabin with the shooting victim and noticed the presence of several boxes containing processed marijuana. While inside the cabin the shooting victim got into an argument with two adult males (estimated to be 21-years old and 24-years old) who were already inside of the cabin.  The eyewitness believed the shooting victim was the father of the two adult males.

The argument ensued because the two adult males were angry about the presence of the eyewitness at the location. The argument lasted for a period of time before the shooting victim was shot in the legs with a shotgun by one of the adult males.  The shooting victim sustained non-life threatening injuries. The shooting victim and eyewitness fled the vicinity of the cabin after the shooting.  The shooting victim sought medical aid by calling 911 from a different location, which prompted a notification to the Sheriff’s Office.

On 11-18-2011 Detectives responded to the cabin wherein the shooting was described by the eyewitness to have occurred. Detectives located 351 growing marijuana plants in a greenhouse and approximately 208 pounds of processed marijuana mostly packaged separately in 1 pound bags.  Detectives discovered no documentation at the scene to show the marijuana was being grown or possessed for medicinal purposes.

Detectives also learned the shooting victim was a primary resident of the state of Kansas with a temporary residence in the Willits area. The investigation into the shooting incident remains active and detectives have yet to positively identify the two male adults described by the eyewitness.

Anyone with information that could assist in this investigation is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Tip-Line by calling 707-467-9159 and callers can remain anonymous.