Misfiring gun may have saved two lives

Misfiring gun may have saved two lives

COVELO – The Covelo Mobile Home Park is a quiet place in the north part of the small town of Covelo, which is located in the inland valley of Mendocino County, between the Coastal Ranges and Mendocino National Forest. The town of around 1400 people is in the rural farmland, and is the home of the Round Valley Tribe of native Americans. The mobile home park holds about 33 units, and is located on Howard Street off Covelo Road, Route 162.

Jose Guadalupe Escareno, Mendocino County booking photo.

Jose Guadalupe Escareno, Mendocino County booking photo.

On Saturday, February 21, brothers David and Eduardo Sifuentes were at the park when a car drove through at an unsafe speed. When the men called the driver and his passenger out on it, the occupants of the car stopped and confronted them. According to the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office, a fight broke out until the passenger, identified as Jose Guadalupe Escareno, 27, pulled out a gun from his waistband.

The Sheriff’s Office did not specify, but it is very likely that the combatants knew each other, and may have had some history. Covelo is a small town, and Escareno lives less than a quarter mile away, on Dingman Street, just past Covelo Road.

After Escareno pulled out the weapon, he struck one of the brothers in the back with it, causing it to fire. The bullet went into a wall of one of the homes, but fortunately no one was struck. The blow also apparently caused the gun to jam, because when Escareno then pointed it at the two men, he reportedly pulled the trigger and the gun failed to shoot. He shouted that he was going to kill them, but when the gun failed, he and the car’s driver, who was not identified, left the scene.

A call came into the Sheriff’s office at 1:40 pm, and responding deputies spoke to David and Eduardo Sifuentes. Meanwhile, a Department of Fish and Wildlife warden, aware of the shooting, had stopped the vehicle on Highway 162. Deputies responded to that location, and seized two loaded handguns from the vehicle, one of which matched the description of the weapon used at the fight. A spent shell casing also matched the caliber of the handgun.

Jose Escareno was arrested on charges of attempted murder, and booked into Mendocino County Jail on $125,000 bail.

Misfiring gun may have saved two lives was last modified: March 3rd, 2015 by admin
Categories: Mendocino

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Ken Kiunke

Ken Kiunke is a northern California writer covering Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Sacramento Counties.