A 61-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the death of two people and wounding three others, including a California Highway Patrol officer, during a series of shootings carried out across Lake County, California. The suspect Alan Ashmore was taken into custody Monday afternoon.
Police have not yet released a motive for the shooter.
The Lake County News reports that the suspect Alan Ashmore was arrested around Monday afternoon at 12:15 P.M. following a series of shootings spreading across seven crimes scenes, which were reportedly carried out with multiple firearms, including handguns and a shotgun.
What Happened?
Alan Ashmore
Alan Ashmore is alleged to have went on a crime spree, leaving behind seven crimes scenes, as he allegedly fired shots near homes, a gas station, a post office, and a winery. The first shooting was reported at 11: 23 A.M. on Monday, according to a press release by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
The Sheriff’s Department also said, “The preliminary investigation showed that Ashmore shot into several residences in the 13000 block of Anchor Village in Clearlake Oaks. The two homicide victims were located at different location in the same block. Ashmore shot a female resident of the same street.”
According to KRON-TV, the two victims killed were males.
A resident of Anchor Village claims to witnessed a gunman exiting a vehicle and firing shots. The resident wrote on Facebook that she saw a man pull up, walking into his neighbor’s backyard, firing shots, and then returning to his vehicle. She then wrote that the suspect drove down the street and shot someone else. The woman claims that the shooter returned, parked in a driveway while a California Highway Patrol officer responded.
The Anchor Village resident wrote, “The guy then pulled out of the driveway got to the corner (Keys & Anchor Village), opened (his) window (and) I saw the sawed off shotgun come out of the window (and) he shot at the (officer) & took off.”
https://twitter.com/KCRAKathy/status/922577752313626624?
The responding California Highway Patrol officer suffered a non-life-threatening injury, as he was shot in the leg while pursuing the suspect, according to both the sheriff’s department and KRON-TV. The officer was reportedly struck in the body armor.
Ashmore “went to a local gas station where he shot at a civilian who happened to be a licensed CCW holder. This person returned fire, striking Ashmore’s vehicle,” according to the sheriff’s department.
According to the Lake County Record-Bee, Ashmore is alleged to have shot at a vendor, which broke a window at a Chevron station. The vendor reportedly pulled out a shotgun and returned fire while the suspect fled in his vehicle, according to the station manager Amanda Chew.
No one was reportedly injured in the gas station shooting.
“When the gentleman (Ashmore) came in, I called 911 immediately and gave them a description. We were very lucky,” said Chew.
The sheriff’s department said, “Ashmore then went to another gas station where he shot at other people. As of this press release, there are no known injuries from this incident.”
https://twitter.com/KCRAKathy/status/922572330575867909
The sheriff’s department added:
“Witnesses provided a description of the vehicle Ashmore was driving, as well as a direction of travel on High Valley Road.”
“As deputies were searching for Ashmore, a local winery reported that Ashmore had shot at employees there,” according to the sheriff’s department. There were no injuries reported at Brassfield Estate Winery, where a family with four children were inside the tasting room area at the time the shots were fired, according to the Record-Bee.
“All I did was get word and immediately go into lockdown,” Brassfield’s Christine Sanders, who was behind the counter, told the Record-Bee. “We sat in the tasting room until given the OK.”
After a four-mile pursuit, Ashmore surrendered when he hit a roadblock on High Valley Road. The roadblock had been set up by police to trap the alleged shooter. The chase began after police identified Ashmore’s vehicle near a winery, according to the Lake County News.
“Responding deputies were able to locate Ashmore’s vehicle, and pursued him for several miles,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release. “Other responding deputies and officers from Lakeport Police Department and CHP set up a road block. When Ashmore encountered the roadblock, he surrendered without incident.”
Sheriff Brian Martin told the Lake County News that Ashmore “gave up easily.”
According to the sheriff’s department, Ashmore was found with several firearms, including handguns and a shotgun. Ashmore was reportedly not harmed during the arrest.
“Several firearms were recovered from his vehicle and they are believed to be the weapons used in the murders,” said the sheriff’s department.
According to the Redheaded Blackbelt, firefighters were forced to stop battling two wildfires located near the area Ashmore was captured. Police are currently investigating whether or not Ashmore set those fires.
The sheriff’s department said, “A report of a fire that had just started on High Valley Road came in to LCSO Dispatch, and that fire is being investifated as Arson. The investigation will also focus on determining whther or not Ashmore started the fire.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLvcxqY14kw
Before the shooter was captured, authorities sent a message out to residents at 11:52 A.M. to “shelter-in-place” while they continued to search for the shooter.
The alert had said, “Everyone near the Clearlake Oaks Post Office should shelter in place. There has been a shooting in the area. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is alerting residents to a dangerous situation. A shooting has occurred in the vicintity of the Clearlake Oaks Post Office. Stay indoors and out of sight until further notice.”
Who is Alan Ashmore?
Alan Ashmore/Facebook
Alan Ashmore has been charged with two counts of homicide, along with several charges of assault with a firearm, following Monday’s shooting spree.
Ashmore is an Army veteran with a record of domestic violence and DUI convictions. According to court records, he was convicted of domestic violence in 1994. The charge was inflicting injury to a spouse or cohabitant. On May 4, 1994, charges were filled against Mr. Ashmore in Fresno County. Court records also reveal that he was divorced in 1994, and had minor children at the time of the case.
Other criminal convictions for Mr. Ashmore include driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. In October 2014, he was charged with DUI and convicted of the crime in June 2005. The case reportedly occurred in Lake County. Meanwhile, Ashmore was arrested for driving with a suspended license back in 2000 in the state of Oregon.
According to Ashmore’s Facebook page, he’s an army veteran who served in the 7th Infantry Division. Before Monday’s shooting, Ashmore lived in Clearlake Oaks, California. He has previously lived in Lemoore, Hanford and Laton, California, and Creswell and Oakridge, Oregon, according to public records.
