A man is dead and two others are hospitalized following a late-night shooting Wednesday in a remote area north of Covelo that authorities say may be tied to illegal marijuana cultivation and a drug trafficking organization.
Deputies with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 hang-up call around 9:01 p.m. on May 14. The caller, an unidentified male, stated he needed help for a friend before disconnecting. Dispatchers traced the call to the 82000 block of Mina Road using sheriff’s office communication systems.
While deputies searched the area, radio traffic indicated that a man with suspected gunshot wounds had arrived at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Emergency Room shortly before 11 p.m. Deputies continued combing the area near Mina Road when individuals in a vehicle flagged them down and reported finding an unresponsive man nearby on Hulls Valley Road.
Around 12:42 a.m. on May 15, deputies discovered a deceased adult male with apparent gunshot wounds in the 23000 block of Hulls Valley Road, approximately one mile from the Mina Road intersection. Multiple firearms and spent cartridge casings were found near the body, along with a blood trail that led to a marijuana grow site with hoop houses and camp trailers.
Deputies believe the shooting is connected to the injured man in Ukiah, who was later transferred to an out-of-county hospital due to the severity of his wounds. Detectives determined both cases were linked and obtained a search warrant for the grow operation and surrounding area. Additional investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office joined the homicide investigation.
While canvassing the area around 8:15 a.m. Thursday, deputies located a second injured man with multiple gunshot wounds approximately four miles up Hulls Valley Road. He was airlifted to another out-of-county hospital. Preliminary statements indicate he was wounded during the same shooting incident.
Both injured men are in stable condition and have been interviewed.
Authorities are working to identify the deceased man and notify his next of kin. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled, and the official cause of death will be released pending the results.
Investigators say evidence collected at the scene suggests illegal cannabis operations connected to a drug trafficking organization. However, they have withheld further details to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Captain Quincy Cromer said there is no information to link the killing in Covelo with a dead body found on a property in Bell Springs Road last week. That property also operates as a cannabis farm.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1) or leave an anonymous tip at 707-234-2100.
