Speaking to reporters at Halvorsen Park this morning, where the county is unveiling its new armored BearCat vehicle, Sheriff Billy Honsal confirmed that a man was found shot in the head on Highway 36 near Dinsmore early this morning, and was later pronounced dead at Redwood Memorial Hospital.

Honsal told the Outpost that deputies were summoned to the scene by a 911 call made by a passerby in the early morning hours. When they arrived, they found a shot-up car on the side of the highway, and a man with a gunshot wound to the head inside.

No one has been taken into custody yet, Honsal said, but Honsal said investigators are pursuing several leads.

The Sheriff’s Office has said that more information will be released later today.

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UPDATE: Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release below:

 

On Dec. 7, 2018, at about 2:49 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of State Highway 36 near mile marker 43 for the report of a traffic collision and gunshot victim.

When deputies arrived on scene, they located a truck alongside the road with damage consistent with a traffic collision. Inside the vehicle, deputies located a 47-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound to the head. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

While continuing to investigate, Sheriff’s deputies located a second vehicle possibly involved in the collision on Van Duzen Road near Alton.

Sheriff’s investigators are currently in the process of interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence. This incident is being investigated as a homicide.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to contact Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Mark Peterson at (707) 445-7251.