4 dead in Mojave Desert community after shooting report
MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) — California authorities are investigating the deaths of four people after a report of a shooting in a small Mojave Desert community.
No information on exactly what happened shortly before midnight Sunday or who was involved was immediately released by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
“Currently no threat to the community,” public information officer Lori Meza said in an email to The Associated Press late Monday morning. Meza said updated information was expected shortly.
Deputies responding at 11:20 p.m. Sunday found four people “suffering from traumatic assault injuries” in the unincorporated community of Mojave, the Sheriff’s Office said in a brief press release.
Three of the people died at the scene and one was pronounced dead at an area hospital, the office said. The location of the shooting was a street on the west edge of town with widely scattered homes.
“Homicide detectives responded and the investigation is ongoing,” the office said.
Mojave, population 3,600, is along an important rail line at an intersection of two state highways on the western side of the Mojave Desert about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.
The community is in a region with a history of gold and silver mining and is currently known for wind farms on nearby hills and the Mojave Air & Space Port, where aerospace companies such as Virgin Galactic have facilities.
