Mojave Desert Shooting Ends With Two Dead

Ridgecrest, CA — A shooting in the Mojave Desert ended with two people dead, including the shooter. Three people were also injured in the incident.

The shooting incident started when Ridgecrest police were called to the scene shortly after 5 am on Friday. A woman was found dead and a man was injured by multiple gunshot wounds.

During the investigation, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood explained that a police officer received a call from the suspect, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

The suspect explained that he wanted to kill cops at the department’s headquarters, but they had too many guns. Instead, he told the officer that he would “wreak havoc” somewhere else instead. A sheriff’s deputy spotted his car about two hours later and a 40-minute chase ensued through the Mojave Desert.

The suspect pulled over and the car’s trunk popped open, revealing a man and a woman. The trunk shut again and the man got back in the car and continued driving. The suspect eventually threatened to kill both people in the truck. He finally pulled over again and began shooting into the trunk, notes The Star Tribune.

At that point, as many as seven officers opened fire on the suspect, killing him. The hostages were rescued and flown to a hospital, where they were listed in critical condition. The suspect was identified as 39-year-old Sergio Munoz, who has a lengthy criminal record. Authorities weren’t sure what triggered the shooting rampage, but explained that Munoz recently lost his job and his life was unraveling.

Munoz knew all of his victims, according to police, and was staying with his first victims at the time of the shooting. The Mojave Desert shooting shocked Ridgecrest, a city of about 27,000 with a relatively low crime rate. Schools in the area were placed on lockdown while the shooting took place, but were reopened later.

[Image via ShutterStock]