If the attack / murder was in a National Park, Refuge, etc. can the Federal Govt. prosecute him?
Looks like the July 4 shooting may have occurred in a National Forest, not a National Park, and apparently the crimes cover at least two jurisdictions.
Here's a write up I found on our county Facebook Group page that goes into the gory details. Skip if yer not interested...
7/8/2020: Oroville, CA: The Sierra County Poker Flat Shooter John Thomas Conway (40) is in custody at Butte County Jail after being released from Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California earlier today.
Conway was shot and injured in Sierra County on July 4th after he tried to run over two wildlife officers and then fled south on Saddleback Road towards Downieville, leading to an officer-involved shooting and deployment of a K-9.
The officers had been searching for the lost 15-year-old son of Danville physician Dr. Ari Gershman (who Conway allegedly shot and killed the day prior in the Poker Flat area of Sierra County) when they encountered Conway.
(***Read more details in the following Sierra County Sheriff's Office Press Release included below.)
Conway was booked at 01:45 PM PDT today (Wednesday), according to
VINELink - Empowering Victims of Crime.
Conway is on a NO BAIL HOLD and has a hearing tomorrow at 3:00 PM in Butte County Superior Court, according to the jail.
Conway is being held on three separate Butte County cases involving charges unrelated to the Sierra County shootings, according to the jail.
Conway is charged with vandalism, vehicle theft and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person in Butte County, according to the jail.
Conway has not yet been charged with the crimes that took place over the Independence Day weekend in Sierra County, according to the jail.
FROM
VINELink - Empowering Victims of Crime
JOHN THOMAS CONWAY
Custody Record
Age 40
Gender Male
Race White
CA: Butte County Sheriff's Office
ID Number 130389
Custody Status In Custody
Custody Detail Butte County Jail
Ethnicity Unknown
Date of Birth Jan 01, 1980
ID Number 130389
Custody Status Date Jul 08, 2020 01:56 PM PDT
LOCATION
Butte County Jail
REPORTING AGENCY
Butte County Sheriff's Office
33 County Center Dr.
Oroville, CA 95965
(530) 538-7471
RELATED RECORDS
John Thomas Conway
Agency Sierra County Sheriff's Office
7/7/2020: The Sierra County Poker Flat Murder Suspect has been identified as John Thomas Conway (40) of Oroville.
Sierra County Sheriff's Office Press Release
On July 3, 2020, at about 1600 hours, the Sierra County Sheriff痴 Office received information that two persons sustained gunshot wounds by an assailant in the Poker Flat area of northwestern Sierra County.
The assailant was driving a utility terrain vehicle (UTV).
Neither victim knew the shooter, and the act appeared to be a random act of violence.
After the two victims were transported out of the area, a 911 call came in from a 15-year-old caller in the same general area.
The 15-year-old told the 911 dispatcher that he and his father, who was later identified as Dr. Ari Gershman, a physician from Danville, encountered the suspect while driving down a dirt road.
The suspect opened fire on Dr. Gershman and his son, killing Dr. Gershman.
The juvenile son fled into the forest to escape the shooter and find an area where he could call for help.
Throughout the night of July 3, and into the following day, the Sierra County Sheriff痴 Office coordinated a massive law enforcement response to the area. Responding agencies included:
U.S. Forest Service
California Highway Patrol
California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)
Grass Valley Police Department
Nevada, Placer. Plumas, Shasta, and Yuba counties
Additionally, helicopters from the California Highway Patrol, Washoe County (Nevada), and Placer County Sheriff痴 Office assisted throughout the incident.
Initial responding officers were able to locate Dr. Gershman and his vehicle.
Officers searched the surrounding area for the suspect and missing juvenile.
Officers remained in the area searching throughout the night.
As day broke the following morning, tactical teams were assembled and continued searching the area.
In the afternoon of July 4, CDFW wildlife officers and a K-9, using human tracking skills, hiked through the forest with a Sierra County Deputy tracking the missing juvenile.
Although the juvenile had fled a considerable distance, the officers were able to track and locate him.
Even though the juvenile had fled the shooting and spent the night alone in the forest, he was in good physical condition and did not require medical attention.
After giving him some food and water, officers transported him to the Sheriff痴 Office, where he was reunited with his mother.
Shortly after locating the juvenile, the suspect approached two CDFW wildlife officers and a USFS officer at high speed in the UTV.
The officers were maintaining a checkpoint on Saddleback Road and attempted to stop the vehicle.
The suspect failed to stop and tried to run over the two wildlife officers and then fled south on Saddleback Road towards Downieville.
A third wildlife officer was positioned down the road in Downieville and started driving up the hill to block the suspects vehicle.
A vehicle collision ultimately occurred as officers were attempting to take the suspect into custody.
The suspect immediately represented a threat to the officers, leading to an officer-involved shooting and deployment of a K-9.
The suspect was taken into custody, and after receiving medical treatment at the scene, he was transported to the hospital.
The suspect has been identified as John Thomas Conway, age 40, Oroville.
In addition to the above law enforcement agencies who assisted in this incident, I would like to thank the Downieville and Sierra City Fire Departments for their quick response and medical treatment of the shooting victims.
I would also like to thank the Sierra County businesses and numerous local volunteers who made food for the officers involved in the incident.
The Sheriff痴 Office is working closely with Sierra County District Attorney who anticipates announcing charges soon.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to please contact the Sierra County Sheriff痴 Office at (530) 289-3700.
7/6/2020: Poker Flat Fatal Shooting Update: Lung doctor from Danville, California identified as victim of Poker Flat Shooter.
A Danville, California doctor was shot and killed over the holiday weekend while off-roading with his 15-year-old son.
His son escaped the gunman and was rescued after spending more than a day lost in the remote Sierra County back country near Poker Flat, elevation 4,751.
Two other unnamed people were also shot by the gunman earlier in the day, according to the Sierra County Sheriff痴 Office.
The unnamed gunman was arrested Saturday after leading deputies on a chase in an ATV side by side before he was shot then taken into custody on Saddleback Road, about one mile north of Highway 49.
Ari Gershman, a 45-year-old pulmonary doctor, was driving his new four-wheel drive Jeep with his son when he was shot by a 途andom gunman near Downieville.
The boy called police after escaping and spent 30 hours alone in the Tahoe National Forest before a search party found him Saturday.
Dr. Gershman is survived by three children and a wife who is undergoing chemotherapy.