A shooting at an allegedly illicit California marijuana operation Monday has left seven people dead and a gunman at large, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
Officers had responded to reports of assault with a deadly weapon at a residence in Aguanga, and arrived to find seven people who had suffered gunshot wounds, the department said in a statement. Six were pronounced dead at the scene and one person was taken to the hospital but later died due to injuries she had sustained, NBC News reported.
The department’s homicide unit is investigating the shooting and have not identified a suspect, and the names of those killed have not yet been released, a local ABC News outlet reported.
Sheriff Chad Bianco said that despite marijuana being legal for recreational use, the black market remains active throughout the state.
“These operations are extremely dangerous,” he said, according to The New York Times.
The department said that it was still in early stages of its investigation in response to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for additional comment.
7 people dead and suspect at large following a shooting at a suspected illicit marijuana operation in California on Monday, the Riverside Co. Sheriff’s Dept. says. https://t.co/8nr8ALyvWl
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 8, 2020
Police found over 1,000 pounds of marijuana and several hundred plants at the scene, the statement said, saying that the site was used to “manufacture and harvest and illicit marijuana operation.” The plants had a street value of approximately $5 million, according to The NYT. (RELATED: Hiker Stumbles Upon Multi-Million Dollar Pot Farm With Possible Cartel Links)
The Sheriff’s Department also said that the incident appeared to be isolated and that there was no threat to the public.
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