A law enforcement dragnet involving 40 agencies, extending into the redwood forests of California's Mendocino County, ended Saturday when SWAT officers fatally shot a survivalist who was being sought for two murders, an assault on deputies, and multiple break-ins.
Aaron Bassler, 35, was shot seven times in the chest, by tactical officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, as he held a Norinco SKS rifle. The deputies located Bassler at 12:35 p.m. There was a round in the chamber, the rifle was in the fire position, and Bassler's finger was extended alongside the trigger.
The shooting took place on a logging road 13 miles west of the small hamlet of Northspur.
Bassler had fired on three Alameda County sheriff's deputies on Thursday, leading deputies to believe "that any contact with law enforcement would lead to deadly and lethal engagement."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle.