Incident near River Inn & Andrew Molera Saturday

Ever since I heard about the incident yesterday in the Valley, I have been trying to confirm what I had heard. There has been a dearth of information about it from the local news media, and all I could get was information from my local sources, which was surprisingly accurate.

Finally, this afternoon, KION, channel 46 in Salinas provided information it obtained from the MCSO. Here is a part of that story:

“According to sheriff’s investigators, two drivers were involved in a traffic collision near the Big Sur River Inn at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday; shortly after, county dispatchers told the deputy on scene that one of the vehicles involved was reported stolen out of Colorado Springs, Colo.  The  driver of the suspected vehicle then fled on foot behind the River Inn.

The deputy and a U.S. Forest Service officer ran after him, and a California Highway Patrol airplane was called to help search the hillside.  Sheriff’s deputies say the man was found about 150 feet up the hillside, lying down under a tree; upon being found, investigators say he put a gun to his head and shot himself dead.”

There is not much I can say, except this man must have been desperate. I am sorry for his family, but given the rash of shootings making the news, I am very grateful that this person did not try to take others with him at the end of his journey. (He has not yet been identified.)