UPDATED: VALLE VISTA: Shots fired by man in medical distress lead to home evacuations

Deputies make a cautious approach to a residence where an elderly man in medical distress fired at least two rounds from an unknown type weapon in an attempt to bring medics to his aid. Robert Carter photo

UPDATE: 10/07/2016 9:52 a.m. With additional information from Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

VALLE VISTA – Reports of shots fired from a home in the unincorporated area of Valle Vista prompted the evacuation of a number of nearby homes Thursday, Oct. 6.

The shooting occurred in the 44000 block of Lloyd Street near Fairview Avenue, less than one mile from the Hemet/Valle Vista sheriff’s station.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Hemet/Valle Vista Station responded to the reported emergency at about 11 a.m., according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Deputy Mike Vasquez.

After converging on the area deputies cordoned off Lloyd Street and set up a perimeter around on the normally quiet neighborhood, which is made up primarily of mobile homes.

As the Riverside County Aviation Unit’s Star 9 circled the area, officials asked most residents to remain inside their homes. However, once deputies determined where the shots had been fired from they evacuated a number of adjacent residences as a precautionary measure, according to Vasquez.

Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters and AMR medics also responded and staged nearby, according to a Cal/Fire active incident log.

Deputies attempted – without success – to contact the subject inside the residence via a public address system.

Witnesses at the scene told Robert Carter of Public Safety Incidents that at least two shots were fired from a single story residence on Lloyd Street. They also told Carter the man who resides at the residence is in poor health and wheelchair bound. One neighbor who said he called 911 to report the shots fired told Carter at least one of the rounds narrowly missed neighbors on the next street over.

Carter reported that numerous attempts to contact the man inside his residence via the PA system failed.

Deputies eventually made entry into the house and made contact with the male who had fired the shots, Vasquez confirmed.

The man was only identified as a 62-year-old resident of Hemet.

The man told deputies he could not move nor gain access to his telephone and was trying to summon help by firing the rounds from inside his residence.

Once deputies determined the scene was safe, firefighters and AMR medics attended to the man. The man was transported to a local hospital for treatment of dehydration and other unspecified medical conditions according to a medic at the scene.

No update regarding the man’s medical condition has been provided.

“There were no reported injuries during the incident, however, a shed and a skirting portion of a mobile home were struck,” Riverside County Sheriff’s Sergeant Santiago Agcaoili wrote in a press release about the incident.

This is still an active and ongoing investigation, according to Vasquez, who said it was not yet known if charges would be filed against the man for discharging his firearm from inside his residence.

Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Hemet sheriff’s officials at (951) 791-3400. Callers can refer to incident file number D16280017
and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

Click any image to open full-sized gallery.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.