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Unfounded El Dorado Hills Active Shooter Rumor Was Fueled By 2 Unrelated Incidents, Sheriff Says

EL DORADO HILLS (CBS13) — The sheriff's office says the rumors of an active shooter incident in El Dorado Hills this week are unfounded.

On Friday, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office released their findings of the investigation into two incidents that some thought were related. The first incident that appears to have started the rumors happened back on Wednesday in an open field east of Town Center.

Deputies say someone reported hearing several gunshots in the area. That person went to investigate and soon found a male who was carrying several guns. Some of the guns were rifles with scopes, the witness said.

A confrontation between the witness and the person escalated to the point the gunman fired off a shot into a large dirt berm. The gunman then allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the witness.

The witness told the gunman he had to leave and then called authorities. The gunman reportedly made some sort of suicidal statement, the witness said.

Deputies set up a perimeter in the area and started searching for the person from the air. Soon, they spotted a person motionless in the field. It was the gunman, who deputies say was found to have died.

No shots were fired in the time that deputies were at the scene, but a total of five guns were recovered and eight empty shell cases were found. Investigators believe the gunman had shot at some signs in the area, but no one - including the person who initially called to report the situation - was hurt.

The second incident that further fueled the rumors happened on Thursday. A person reported that they were driving through the area when their vehicle was struck by what they thought was a bullet.

Deputies looked into the report and found insufficient evidence that the damage was caused by a bullet.

Investigators say, after speaking with the family of the person found dead after Wednesday's incident, they have no reason to believe he had any intention of harming anyone.

The name of the male found dead after the first incident has not been released.

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