UPDATE: La Quinta suspect who shot 2, killed 1, arrested 2 weeks ago with weapons, explosives

LA QUINTA — A man who reportedly shot himself at the end of a pursuit after officials allege he fatally shot a man and injured a woman was arrested just two weeks ago after a family disturbance, Thursday, Aug. 30.

Further investigation by RCNS uncovered that during the man’s arrest just 13 days before this morning’s fatal shooting, deputies found and confiscated an AK-47 assault rifle with banned magazines as well as “materials consistent with explosives,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Davis said after the August arrest.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

Dropped lighter leads to SR-79 5-car pile-up that injured several

Family grieving after MV toddler crushed under wheels of commercial truck

UPDATE: Pregnant woman, unborn child, killed in Hemet head-on DUI collision

Stacy Rowan, 56, of La Quinta, was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound yesterday morning, during a pursuit that ended in Ontario on Inland Empire Blvd., just east of Archibald Ave.

La Quinta resident, Stacy Rowan, was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound yesterday, after officials allege he shot and killed a man and injured a woman in La Quinta. RSO booking photo

The pursuit began while the man was allegedly fleeing a deadly shooting at his home on the 54-700 block of Avenida Vallejo in La Quinta; the same location where he was arrested and authorities located weapons and explosives two weeks earlier.

During last month’s investigation deputies “discovered several firearms illegally possessed by Rowan (and) also discovered materials consistent with explosives,” Sgt. Davis had previously explained.

Based on the potentially explosive materials deputies discovered during that August investigation, members of the Sheriff’s Hazardous Device Team “responded and assumed the investigation into the materials present at the residence,” according to Davis, who did not provide a description of the explosives found in Rowan’s possession at the time.

Rowan was arrested and booked at Indio jail that day on seven felony “weapons charges,” said Davis. Riverside County Superior Court records indicate Rowan is a convicted felon and prohibited from owning or possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosives.

Jail inmate records indicate Rowan was released Sept. 3, three days after his arrest after he posted $25,000 bail. He was due in court tomorrow on seven felony charges stemming from that August arrest.

SEE RELATED: Residents rush to aid of La Quinta victims shot by man who later shot himself, one victim dead

Just ten days later, Rowan allegedly shot two people at the same residence where he was previously arrested. Officials have not yet released the names of the two victims.

Rowan remains hospitalized and will be booked into Riverside County Jail for homicide and other charges after his self-inflicted injury improves, Riverside Sheriff’s Investigator Armando Muñoz explained yesterday.

Sheriff’s officials previously released an image that showed at least one federally banned firearm and several banned magazines after his August arrest. RSO photo

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.