File photo.


Two Hoopa teenagers are facing six felony charges for a shooting last week that left a 17-year-old dead.

Codefendants Tse-Lin Lincoln, 19, and William Randolph Billy Warren, 18, each pleaded not guilty to the charges filed by the District Attorney’s office Friday at their arraignment, according to court records.

A third defendant who was arrested on a no-bail warrant and identified by Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office as a suspect, 15-year-old Preston Ruiz II, was previously booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of similar charges.

The criminal complaint charges the adult pair with attempted murder, along with four counts of assault with firearms, with a total of five victims noted. Two victims identified in the complaint appear to be students at Hoopa Valley High.

Each charge has a gang-related violence enhancement, alleging the crimes were for a criminal street gang.

The pair are accused of causing brain injury to the victim resulting in coma and paralysis. The complaint alleges the codefendants shot an occupied vehicle, with the victim inside, using a handgun.

Investigators are now seeking an additional murder charge for the three suspects, according to HCSO. The defendants were initially charged hours before the victim died from his injuries Friday.

We reached out to the District Attorney’s office and will update this post when we learn more.

HCSO responded to the shooting in Hoopa March 10 on Moon Lane, near Highway 96, “in which an individual had been shot in the head,” a spokesperson told the Outpost. The victim was flown out of the area for treatment.

The victim was just over a week away from his 18th birthday when he died. The Hoopa Valley Tribe identified him as a tribal member, and a public Facebook post from a family member identified him as Dylan Andrew Moon.

A GoFundme for Moon’s medical expenses had raised just under $5,000 as of Monday.

Both adult defendants are being held without bail, according to court records. Lincoln is represented by the Public Defender’s office, while Warren is being represented by Conflict Counsel.

The three codefendants were located in the days following the shooting that shuttered local schools and shocked the community.

Ruiz was found in a residence located off State Highway 169 near Wautec. Billy Warren was located at a hotel in the 1900 block of 4th St. in Eureka. Lincoln turned himself into deputies at the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The preliminary examination for the adult codefendants is scheduled for April 28, with their next hearing in the case to be held tomorrow.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information on this case to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539. The Hoopa Valley Tribe has previously offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

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