MENDOCINO Co., 1/15/24 — A 62-year-old man was shot in the leg around 7:25 a.m. Sunday morning in the 29000 block of Highway 20, roughly four miles east of Fort Bragg city limits. The victim was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspected shooter as 33-year-old Michael Anthony Jones, who remains at large.
Jones is described as a white man with brown hair and hazel eyes, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and roughly 175 pounds — with a prominent tattoo on the right side of his neck. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 707-463-4086.
MCSO drew criticism from the coastal community after asking all of Fort Bragg’s roughly 7,000 residents to shelter in place around 11:15 a.m., based on the presence of a man with a neck tattoo. That alert was shared with the public nearly four hours after the shooting was reported, and did not include any details about the location of the crime. See the alert here.
Sheriff’s Capt. Greg Van Patten said via email that the controversial alert had been shared with the public directly by dispatchers — who did not have all the details — at the request of personnel in the field.
“It’s something we have tried to resolve but it continues to happen at times due to the hastiness of the messaging … and the multi-tasking responsibilities of the dispatcher in the moment,” Van Patten wrote.
Readers can find the press release issued Sunday evening below:
MEDIA ADVISORY/NEWS RELEASE |
DATE: “January 14, 2024” FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Incident Number: 2024-0910 Crime/Incident: 664/187 PC (Attempt Murder) 29800 PC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm) 3056 PC (Violation of Parole) Location: 29000 block of Highway 20 in Fort Bragg, CA Date of Incident: 01-14-2024 Time: 7:15 AM Victim(s): Adult Male (62-year-old from Fort Bragg, CA) Suspect(s): Michael Anthony Jones (33-year-old male from Fort Bragg, CA) Written By: Sergeant Ze Lima #1224 Synopsis: On 01-13-2024 at around 9:20 PM, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a shooting at a residence in the area of the 31000 block of Highway 20 in Fort Bragg, California. Upon arrival, Deputies contacted a 62-year-old male and learned he was involved in a dispute over stolen property with Michael Anthony Jones. During this interaction, Jones produced a pistol, pointed it toward the 62-year-old male and fired a single shot. The bullet missed the 62-year-old male and Jones left in a vehicle. Deputies set out to locate Jones at multiple locations and could not find him. The next morning, on 01-14-2024 at around 7:25 AM, Deputies were dispatched to a residence in the area of the 29000 block of Highway 20 (Fort Bragg), regarding a reported shooting. Deputies arrived and contacted the same 62-year-old male, who had suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. Deputies were advised that Jones was the shooter and he had fled into the wooded area south of the property. The 62-year-old male was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his non-life-threatening injuries. A search warrant for the location of the shooting was obtained and members of the Mendo-Lake County Regional SWAT Team arrived to serve the warrant. During the service of the warrant, evidence was obtained, and Jones was not located. SWAT then conducted a parole/probation search at a different residence that Jones was known to frequent on Turner Road (Fort Bragg), and he was not located. Deputies issued an order of arrest for Jones for the crimes of 664/187 PC (Attempt Murder), 29800 PC (Felon in Possession of a Firearm), and 3056 PC (Parole Violation). Jones is described as a white male adult, 33-years of age, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 175 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Jones has a visible tattoo on the right side of his neck (see attached photograph). Anyone with information on Jones’ current whereabouts are urged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086. Approved by: Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184 |