Inside the California shootings that left 2 dead, including suspect's father

The suspect, Alan Ashmore, is facing charges, including two counts of homicide.

ByABC News
October 24, 2017, 5:50 PM

— -- Authorities in Northern California say one of the two men killed in a series of shootings on Monday was the suspected gunman's father. But the motive behind the shootings remains a mystery, Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson told ABC News.

Here's what we know about how the shootings unfolded:

The shootings

The suspect, identified as 61-year-old Alan Ashmore, was seen leaving his home mid-morning on Oct. 23 in Clearlake Oaks, about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.

Ashmore's longtime friend, 64-year-old Richard Braden, came to Ashmore's home, but when no one answered, Braden left and parked nearby, sitting in his car, the sheriff's office said.

Ashmore returned to his home and allegedly began arguing with a 22-year-old woman there; he allegedly threatened her and held her at knifepoint, the sheriff's office said. The woman resisted him and Ashmore allegedly shot her in the foot as she tried to flee, the sheriff's office said.

Ashmore then allegedly fatally shot his father, the sheriff's office said, after which Ashmore allegedly pointed a gun at a neighbor and pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired.

Authorities say Ashmore then allegedly drove to a neighbor’s home where he went inside and fired a gun. As the residents fled, one woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

PHOTO: Crime scene tape blocks off a road in front of residential homes  where law enforcement members in Lake County, Calif., were investigating the fatal shootings.
Crime scene tape blocks off a road in front of residential homes where law enforcement members in Lake County, Calif., were investigating the fatal shootings.
KGO

Ashmore then allegedly kept driving and fired at another home, the sheriff's office said. He then allegedly stopped at the home of a former employer and fired through the back of the house, but the residents were not home, the sheriff's office said.

The gunman then allegedly found his friend, Braden, who was still sitting in his parked car, and fatally shot him, the sheriff's office said.

PHOTO: Crime scene tape blocks off a road in front of residential homes  where law enforcement members in Lake County, Calif., were investigating the fatal shootings.
Crime scene tape blocks off a road in front of residential homes where law enforcement members in Lake County, Calif., were investigating the fatal shootings.
KGO

When Ashmore came across a California Highway Patrol officer responding to reports of the shootings, Ashmore allegedly fired at him, hitting the officer in his ballistic vest, the sheriff's office said. The officer's injuries were non-life-threatening.

Ashmore then allegedly drove to a Chevron station and confronted a vendor inside; when the vendor fled, the suspect allegedly fired at him, the sheriff's office said. The vendor, who wasn't hit, allegedly got his gun -- which he was licensed to carry -- from his car, and fired back at Ashmore, who took a soda from inside the station, the sheriff's office said.

But Ashmore wasn't hit and he fled, authorities said.

The shooter allegedly next stopped at a Power Mart, stealing items including cigarettes and a lighter, the sheriff's office said. Authorities say Ashmore engaged someone in an altercation there and then left.

PHOTO: A gas station was taped off on  Oct. 23, 2017.
A gas station was taped off on Oct. 23, 2017.
KGO

As Ashmore continued to flee, he allegedly lit wildfires, which were later controlled by fire crews, the sheriff's office said.

Ashmore next drove to a winery where he allegedly brandished a firearm at someone, the sheriff's office said.

Alan Ashmore, 61, is pictured in this undated photo.

The capture

Deputies chased the suspect by car, and when Ashmore came upon a police roadblock, he surrendered without further incident, the sheriff's office said. Multiple guns were recovered from his car, the sheriff's office said.

Ashmore was arrested for two counts of homicide for the death of Braden and his father, 85-year-old Douglas Ashmore, as well as multiple other counts of assault with a firearm, the sheriff's office said.

The clerk’s office said today that a criminal complaint had not yet been filed. Alan Ashmore is expected to be arraigned Wednesday and does not yet have an attorney.

ABC News' Alex Stone and Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.