- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
REGIONAL: Homicide suspect, deputies exchange gunfire in Thursday confrontation
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County's sheriff said the search for a homicide suspect in the woods near Fort Bragg is intensifying after the man fired on several deputies Thursday morning.
Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman called a Thursday evening press conference to offer an update on the search for 35-year-old Aaron James Bassler, who has been on the run since the August murders of Matthew Coleman and Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo.
Shortly before noon on Thursday a three-member team from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office was assisting in the search when they came under fire from Bassler, who they spotted about 100 meters away, said Allman.
The team returned fire in self-defense, and Bassler then seemed to disappear, only to reappear a short time later and open fire on the team again, Allman said.
“We know that the three-member team fired approximately 10 shots,” said Allman, although it wasn't clear Thursday evening how many shots Bassler had fired or what caliber rifle he was using.
In the wake of the incident, Allman said a very high intensity search was set in motion, with approximately 40 law enforcement officer continuing the search through the night.
Additional K9s – which have been among the most effective tools in the search – are being brought in from around the state, said Allman.
He said none of the law enforcement officers involved in the Thursday shooting were injured, and they were safely extracted from the area, with another team sent in their place.
It was not clear if Bassler had been injured in the confrontation, Allman said.
Allman did not give the exact location of the confrontation, but he said it was in an area where in recent days Bassler has been linked to a series of vacation cabin burglaries. Those cabins are located in the area of Northspur Road – 14 miles east of Fort Bragg and 10 miles northwest of Willits along the Noyo River watershed.
Officials said it's believed that Bassler flanked the team, a method he allegedly used in killing Melo on Aug. 27, when Melo was on private timber property land he managed.
The team members were being interviewed Thursday evening by the Mendocino County District Attorney's investigations team as part of the normal protocol in an officer-involved shooting.
However, Allman said the interviews also are meant to assist the search for Bassler.
Allman added that the team members were being treated as crime victims, alleging that Bassler committed three acts of attempted murder on the peace officers. Allman did not release the team members' names.
For 34 days the search for Bassler – the biggest in the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office's history, involving local, state and federal agencies – has continued in a 400-square-mile forested area near Fort Bragg, Allman said.
Complicating the search is Bassler's knowledge of the area's forests. Allman said in a Monday press conference that Bassler has been known to spend months at a time surviving in the area's woods.
Law enforcement had reported previously that they had gotten close to Bassler earlier this month when a K-9 had contact with him, but he managed to escape.
The area where the team engaged Bassler on Thursday has heavy, dense brush, and therefore it wasn't surprising that they lost sight of him, said Allman.
Bassler was reported as wearing black clothing, which those who know him have told authorities is common, Allman said.
Allman said that, as a result of the shooting, a reverse 911 call was sent to all structures in the area that had landlines or cell phones registered to them in an effort to advise residents of the confrontation.
Allman emphasized there is no plan to end the search for Bassler until there is some resolution.
“We believe we're getting closer,” he said. “We believe we can get resolution soon.”
The Lake County Sheriff's Office – which has been involved in sending assistance since the search started – has chipped in with additional resources, as have Sacramento and Sonoma counties, Allman said.
“Sheriff Rivero called me immediately upon hearing of this,” Allman said of Lake County's sheriff, who sent the county's SWAT team members to assist.
Allman said SWAT team members from Lake and Sacramento counties have been deployed to the scene where the confrontation took place.
“Tomorrow may bring resolution,” Allman said, adding that he hopes Bassler is taken into custody without another shot being fired.
To Bassler's family members, Allman said if they can get Bassler to surrender, “I am just a phone call away.”
The cost for the operation is approaching $300,000, but Allman insisted money concerns aren't at the top of the list in this case.
“We're not going to save a dime and compromise public safety in this situation,” he said. “Our citizens feel under threat.”
A $30,000 reward remains in place for information – not participation – leading to Bassler's apprehension, Allman said.
Allman urged people to stay out of the forests near Fort Bragg and to be aware of their surroundings at all times.
Sightings of Bassler should be reported to the command post at 707-961-2479 or 911 under emergency situations.
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