Over the weekend, a man was shot by California State Park Rangers at Lake Perris State Recreation Area during an incident involving a concealed firearm. According to the KTLA, the confrontation occurred when rangers sought out the individual after reports of shots fired in a parking lot around 7:00 p.m. this past Saturday.
Upon the rangers' arrival, the man, whose identity has yet to be publicly disclosed, "attempted to produce a firearm concealed on his person," the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said, leading to the shooting. The department, assisting with the investigation, has not specified the number of shots fired by the responding officers, but reported that the man was hit at least once. After being arrested, he was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.
Further details explained by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department echo a similar narrative, claiming that the subject was shot after trying to produce a concealed firearm during the rangers' response to gunfire in the parking lot. The scene was then secured, and a specialized investigative detail was called in. "The Riverside County Sheriff’s Force Investigation Detail was requested to respond to the scene to assume the investigation," according to a statement on the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's website.
The ongoing investigation has led authorities to believe there are witnesses yet to come forward, with calls for any information from the public. "It is believed there are multiple witnesses to this incident that did not speak to law enforcement," as mentioned by officials in the report. Individuals with any knowledge about the event are encouraged to contact Riverside County Sheriff’s Investigator Rick Ramirez or Riverside County District Attorney Investigator Ivan Ostarcevic at 951-955-2777.
