Reign of terror in the redwoods ends after SWAT team finally track down murderer and kill him after month-long manhunt in forest



A man suspected of the murdere of a city councilman and a county land trust official was shot and killed yesterday after a massive manhunt in the redwood forests of Northern California.

Sheriff Thomas Allman said Aaron Bassler was shot seven times some six miles east of Fort Bragg after he was sniffed out in the forest by a bloodhound tracking a nearby burglary.

Three members of the Sacramento County's SWAT team were in the trees above Bassler and when they saw him coming toward them on a timber trail, they shot him.

Shot: Aaron Bassler was wanted for the murder of a councilman. A poster, right. includes a possible disguise



Allman initially said Bassler raised his gun at the deputies as they approached, but later said he raised his rifle as he was falling from the gunfire.

'I wish that this incident could have ended without another shot being fired,' Allman said. But, he added, 'I fully support the manner in which this ended. There will be no more lives which will be endangered by Aaron Bassler.'

Bassler, 35, had been sought since Councilman Jere Melo and a second man separately confronted him while investigating reports of an illegal marijuana farm outside of town.

Police said Bassler was cultivating some 400 poppy plants and was holed up in a makeshift bunker when he fired on the 69-year-old Melo and a co-worker who escaped and called for help.



Bassler was also wanted in the fatal shooting of Matthew Coleman of the Mendocino County Land Trust. The former Fish and Game Department employee was found dead next to his car on Aug. 11 up the coast from Fort Bragg.

Armed and dangerious: A surveillance photograph shows a man believed to be Aaron Bassler, who appears to be holding an automatic weapon, after breaking into a vacation cabin in the redwood forest, a haven for tourists

Dozens of local and federal authorities scoured the forests near Fort Bragg in one of the area's largest manhunts in decades, but Bassler eluded them for more than a month.

He exchanged gunfire with sheriff's deputies on Thursday, when authorities noticed he was dressed in black and had a high-powered rifle that was seen in a surveillance photo taken last week. It was the same weapon he is accused of using to kill Melo on August 27.



The 7,000 residents of Fort Bragg had been on edge while the manhunt enveloped the coastal community about three hours north of San Francisco. Both Melo and Coleman had been well regarded locally for their love of the land and volunteer community work.



Bassler's father, James, was out of town on Saturday. His stepmother, Helen, said she was devastated but did not want to comment further.

Guard: Mendocino County sheriff's deputy Joey DeMarco stands watch with his patrol dog Barry alongside railroad tracks before the search for Bassler ended in his death

Vigilant: Sheriff's deputies commandeered a tourist train in the hunt for the fugitive

James Bassler had been vocal about his son's undiagnosed mental illness after his past arrests for DUI and for throwing red military stars and notes over the fence of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.

He told The Associated Press in a recent interview that he had called on Mendocino County officials to help his son, and hoped the Board of Supervisors will pass a law that would allow for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for those who refuse treatment.



Officials had been confounded by Bassler's skills and ability to elude them in the 400-square-mile search perimeter. Authorities believe that during his time at large, he broke into a half-dozen cabins in the woods to restock his food supplies.



The forest is also frequented by tourists, particularly those who take the fabled Skunk Train that traverse through the redwoods from Fort Bragg to Willits.



The lawman always gets his man: Mendocino County Sheriff Thomas Allman, surrounded by his deputies, gives details about the death of Bassler during a news conference at the Fort Bragg Police Department

Tourist haven: Walkers in the Redwood Forests, like above, had avoided the area during the hunt

The railroad, which runs near Melo's murder scene, had been partially commandeered to transport agents and supplies into the woods.

'This community loves the woods, Winston Bowen, president of the Mendocino Land Trust told the Los Angeles Times.

