Sheriff: 2 Armed Gang Members Among Orinda Halloween Massacre Victims
MARTINEZ (CBS SF) -- Two armed gang members were among the five people killed during a mass shooting that may have erupted during an altercation between rival gangs inside an Orinda rental home on Halloween night, authorities announced Friday.
Contra Costa Sheriff David Livingston said both Ramon Hill Jr. and Javin County were armed when they were fatally shot in a hail of gunfire. Hill was associated with San Francisco's Paige Street Gang while County was associated with the Marin City Jungle Gang.
Both, Livingston said, have extensive criminal records and Hill was out on parole at the time of his death.
"We still are identifying specific motives, but I can tell you that there were rival gangs involved in the altercation inside the home," Livingston said. "We are told by witnesses that there was also an attempt to steal property from one person to another which may have precipitated the initial round of shootings. We haven't nailed down the exact motive yet."
Livingston said when he went into home the night of the shooting, the scene was horrific.
"I went into the scene personally," he told reporters at the Friday afternoon news conference. "In my 32 years of law enforcement, I have never seen a homicide scene like this ever. It was a bloodbath inside the home."
He said spent shell casings were littered across the home.
"The floor, the countertops [were littered with shells]," he said. "It takes a lot of analysis to be very thorough, very deliberate, very careful to establish beyond any doubt who shot, when and for what purpose."
When it came to how many gunmen were involved, Livingston said, "To be safe and to be accurate, we can safely say there were multiple shooters at this event."
The sheriff said that some of the suspects "went to the party with the intention of causing harm and conflict."
After roughly two weeks of investigation, sheriff's deputies served warrants Thursday morning in San Mateo, Marin City, Vallejo and Antioch. Assisting deputies were local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the FBI.
There are four suspects who have been taken into custody on suspicion of murder and conspiracy including 28-year-old Lebraun Wallace from San Mateo, 20-year-old Jaquez Sweeney and 20-year-old Jason Iles from Marin City as well as 30-year-old Shamron Mitchell from Antioch. All four men are being held without bail.
Vallejo resident Devin Williamson, 21, has also been charged as an accessory to the crime. He's being held on $500,000 bail.
Livingston told reporters on Friday they expected to have "additional people in custody" related to the shooting.
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