The following is a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Update

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division has completed interviews and has reviewed the evidence associated with the shooting that occurred on the 300 block of Twin Trees Road March 20, 2019. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office has determined Thomas Neil Harris to have acted in self-defense.

Mr. Harris was released from the Humboldt County Correctional Facility in the evening of March 20 per Penal Code 849(b)1.

This case is being forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review and final determination of charges.

Previously

On March 20, 2019, at about 3:50 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 300 block of Twin Trees Road near Benbow for the report of a shooting that had just occurred.

Sheriff’s deputies quickly arrived on scene and located a 31-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

The suspect, 65-year-old Thomas Neil Harris, was located on a nearby property and taken into custody without incident. Upon further investigation, deputies learned that the shooting was the result of an ongoing civil dispute between the two men.

Harris was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of attempted homicide. His bail is set at $500,000.

This incident is still under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.