Anthony Richard Cruz, 30, of Clearlake, was the victim in the early morning incident Sept. 4, according to the Lake County Sheriff-Coroner's Office.
Cruz sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest as he looked out a window into his backyard, said Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain.
“At this point we do not have any solid information as to why this incident occurred,” said McClain.
Police are exploring all possibilities, and are receiving leads in the case, he said.
“We know he was involved in an altercation a couple days before this incident,” said McClain, adding police aren't aware of any threats made against Cruz.
At approximately 5:03 a.m. Friday a woman reported that her boyfriend had been shot in the chest by an unknown suspect at a Spruce Avenue location, according to department reports.
McClain said Tuesday that officers dispatched to the scene found a wounded Cruz, with the first officer on scene starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Paramedics with Lake County Fire continued CPR on Cruz as he was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, where he was pronounced dead, according to McClain.
Sheriff's Capt. James Bauman said an autopsy on Cruz is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Napa County Coroner's Office.
McClain said detectives haven't yet released information about the caliber and type of weapon used to fatally shoot Cruz.
Cruz's girlfriend told police that there was some type of disturbance in the backyard of the house where Cruz lived, on the corner of Spruce Avenue, McClain said.
When Cruz went to a window in a back bedroom to see what was going on in the backyard, he was shot. McClain said it wasn't clear if he yelled at someone while at the window.
It's not yet clear how large a part in the shooting a small backyard marijuana grow played. McClain said Cruz had about 15 to 20 marijuana plants in a small fenced off area behind his house, with the tops of the plants visible over the fence.
McClain said Cruz – with whom police have had past contacts – didn't have a medical recommendation for the marijuana.
Police are trying to determine who might have been involved, as it appears that only Cruz saw the suspect or suspects.
“Right now we don't know how many subjects there may have been, so we're leaving that aspect of it open,” said McClain.
McClain said it's possible that there are witnesses who saw the shooting who haven't come forward.
District Attorney Jon Hopkins said he and four of his investigators were at the scene Friday, working with Clearlake Police's management staff, investigators and patrol.
Hopkins said he worked that morning on search warrants for Judge Stephen Hedstrom to sign in order that the scene could be processed.
He said retired law enforcement detectives also were called in to assist with questioning, since the police department is short-handed currently.
McClain said in addition to the District Attorney's Office investigators, California Department of Justice latent fingerprint experts and crime scene investigators worked on the scene.
McClain said the investigation is continuing, with Officer Mike Ray leading the investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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