Multiple people were killed and others injured in a shooting shortly after midnight Monday along Jetty Road in Moss Landing, the small Monterey County coastal community wedged between Monterey and Santa Cruz along Highway 1. Deputies and detectives were still working the scene Monday morning, and authorities said there is no active threat to the surrounding community.
According to USA Today, authorities have not released the number of people killed or injured, nor have they disclosed information about the victims or the circumstances that led to the gunfire. The outlet reports that the Monterey County Sheriff's Office is treating the case as an active investigation and has not released additional information immediately.
A conflicting account has emerged regarding the scale of the tragedy. FOX 11 Los Angeles reports that North County Fire Protection Chief Jess Cortez said his crews arrived to find two people with gunshot wounds to the chest and one person with minor injuries, and that the two gunshot victims died at the scene while the injured person was taken to a hospital. USA Today's report, however, states plainly that authorities have not specified the number of people killed or injured, leaving the official casualty count unconfirmed as of Monday morning.
Beach and Access Road Shut Down
California State Parks Police closed Jetty Road and Moss Landing State Beach at the request of the Sheriff's Office, per the same USA Today account. Cortez told FOX 11 that the fire scene cleared at about 2:40 a.m.; the beach was closed during the investigation.
Moss Landing is described in the report as an unincorporated coastal community along Highway 1 between Monterey and Santa Cruz, the kind of small stretch of coastline more often associated with harbor views and marine research than violent crime. The Sheriff's Office reiterated that there is no active threat to the Moss Landing community at this time, even as the broader circumstances behind the shooting remain unclear.
No Word Yet on a Suspect
USA Today reports that authorities did not immediately say whether they had identified a suspect or taken anyone into custody. That leaves open basic questions about who was responsible and whether the shooting was random or targeted, details investigators have not yet made public.
The investigation continued into Monday morning. For now, residents and visitors to the Moss Landing area are left with a closed beach, a shuttered access road, and an unresolved case that authorities say poses no further danger to the community despite the unanswered questions surrounding it.
