Investigation Underway Into Shots Fired At Security Guard

Death Valley National Park (CA)
Investigation Underway Into Shots Fired At Security Guard

Rangers were dispatched to the Furnace Creek Ranch Resort just after 3 a.m. on September 9th to investigate a report of shots fired. The ranch is a large resort complex managed by Xanterra Corporation and is a private inholding within the park. Rangers regularly respond to the full range of emergencies there based on an agreement with Xanterra Resorts and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office. Four rangers and a resident California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer responded and met a Xanterra security guard at the scene. The guard said that he’d just entered the Furnace Creek firehouse to get a drink and use the restroom when he noticed a light on in the security and fire manager's office and saw a man emerged wearing a Nomex fire shroud covering his face. When confronted, the man told him that he was there to "steal some crap and sell it for his family." The man then produced and brandished a handgun. The guard said that he told the man to take what he wanted and that he would not try to stop him (the guard was not armed, per company policy), then started to back out of the building. The burglar left the building, using a side door without taking anything. The guard waited a few seconds, then left the building using the same door, reaching for the portable radio on his belt as he did so. As he approached the front of the building, he saw the burglar, who turned and fired three shots at him. The guard retreated back into the firehouse and called the front desk to request help. Two of the shots entered the firehouse and an adjacent building. One of the rounds went through and flattened a tire on the Xanterra security vehicle that the guard had been driving. The responding rangers secured the crime scene and awaited the arrival of Inyo County officers, who have primary jurisdiction on incidents of this type. The first deputy arrived on scene 45 minutes later. By 6 a.m., additional deputies, a county detective and a crime scene technician had arrived along with a second CHP officer. At daybreak, a CHP airplane arrived and began flying transects over the Furnace Creek developed area and surrounding mesquite bosques. Chief Ranger Brent Pennington also arrived on scene. After Pennington made the required notifications, Lake Mead Special Agent Mike Blandford was assigned to assist. Back at the ranch, it was discovered that bolt cutters had been used to cut the lock on a compound securing golf carts next to the pro shop and that six old car batteries had been placed there while six new interstate batteries were removed and possibly stolen. It’s not known at present whether this incident is related to the one at the firehouse. Rangers and officers established a large perimeter, which included most of the Furnace Creek developed area. Before dawn, rangers cleared and evacuated about 30 campers from the Furnace Creek Campground. The Furnace Creek visitor center and headquarters complex was also cleared and evacuated. Non-involved NPS employees worked from the Cow Creek offices for virtually the entire day. A checkpoint was established at the entrance to Furnace Creek Ranch. No vehicles were allowed to enter and all departing vehicles were checked and searched. At 9 a.m., Xanterra management decided to open all their facilities for normal business. Based on recommendations from her senior protection division staff, the superintendent decided to keep the visitor center and headquarters complex closed while there was any chance that an armed individual remained in the area. Responding officers investigated several reported sightings of a man matching the suspect’s description, but the reports were either unfounded or the potential suspect had left the area prior to the officers’ arrival. By mid-afternoon, the perimeter was withdrawn and only the immediate crime scene remained secured. All but two officers had cleared the scene by 4 p.m. Blandford arrived on scene at about this time and was briefed on the incident. He stayed overnight at the Furnace Creek Ranch in case anything else transpired. All other rangers were demobilized by 5 p.m. The case remains under investigation by the county sheriff’s office, but at this time there have been no arrests and no suspects have been identified.