Three Confirmed Deaths, Children Receive CPR As Deputies Investigate Incidents Near Ukiah

Update:

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall confirmed early Friday afternoon that investigators are looking into three deaths following a series of emergency responses in the Ukiah area earlier today. He emphasized that authorities have not yet determined the circumstances surrounding the deaths but that there is no known continuing threat to the public.

“I can tell you that we are investigating three deaths,” Kendall told Redheaded Blackbelt’s Lisa Music in an interview that also included Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Captain Quincy Cromer. “I’m not going to call anything homicides, suicides, or anything else, and we aren’t going to give much confirmation until we get further into it.”

Kendall refused to elaborate on the ages of those involved. “Not giving any ages at this point,” he said, “until such time that we can actually run all of that down.”

Kendall said investigators have a preliminary understanding of what occurred, but cautioned that the information could change as the investigation progresses.

“Currently, we see no outstanding threats to the public,” Kendall said, adding that authorities are not searching for any outstanding individuals believed to be involved in the incident.

The sheriff also clarified confusion surrounding the Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE), where emergency personnel were reported performing CPR on two children earlier this morning.

Music asked whether the children had been brought to the MCOE location for emergency assistance rather than being injured there. Kendall confirmed that understanding.

“Good Samaritans were assisting, and they encountered the ambulance there,” Kendall explained.

He emphasized that the education facility itself had not been targeted. The emergency response at that location has concluded, and Kendall said there are no further disruptions to the facility.

The sheriff also addressed reports circulating from emergency radio traffic that a person with a firearm had been involved.

“We have absolutely nothing that leads us to believe a firearm was involved in this,” Kendall said, emphasizing that this assessment reflects the current stage of the investigation.

Kendall suggested that radio traffic from separate calls may have contributed to confusion about a possible armed individual. He also noted that plainclothes deputies had been working in the area and could potentially have been mistaken for someone else.

The sheriff confirmed that a chaplain had been requested to assist both first responders and family members. “We always call the chaplain on horrific events,” he said.

Despite the significant emergency response, Kendall said roads in the area remain open and traffic is moving normally.

Cromer indicated that the Sheriff’s Office hopes to release a preliminary account of the incident over the weekend, possibly Saturday or Sunday. That initial release is not expected to include the victims’ names.

The identities of the deceased, their ages, their relationships to one another, and the causes and manners of death have not yet been officially released.

Original story.

Multiple people are reportedly dead following a series of serious incidents Friday morning, October 9, in the Ukiah area. Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies are responding to what appears to be a complex investigation involving potentially multiple crime scenes.

The incident that was first reported came in at approximately 10:20 a.m. in the area of 6800 Old River Road. Emergency radio traffic indicates that law enforcement and medical personnel responded to reports of multiple injured people, including children.

Scanner traffic indicated that CPR was underway on some subjects. Two children were being transported to the hospital from the original scene towards a hospital by a private person.

Emergency personnel met the vehicle and began performing CPR on two children.

At approximately 10:35 a.m., radio traffic indicated one person was deceased at a residence. The location of the residence was not specified.

There were two pediatric patients at the Mendocino Office of Education with CPR performed about 10:40 a.m. It's unclear if these are the same two children.

By 10:45 a.m., emergency personnel were discussing another fatality in the 6800 block of Old River Road. The helicopters were subsequently canceled.

At approximately 10:55 a.m., radio traffic indicated that a person reportedly associated with a firearm was no longer outstanding and that a firearm had been secured. Authorities had earlier conducted a protective sweep of a residence.

Additional radio traffic suggests investigators may be dealing with multiple crime scenes. The full extent of the incident, the number of victims, and the circumstances surrounding the violence have not yet been officially confirmed. But at least two children needed CPR.

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall confirmed that he was traveling to the scene and that a captain, lieutenant, and detectives were responding. He said he would provide additional information when it became available.

Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the number of fatalities or identified any victims or suspects.