Two killed in Clearlake gunfire, suspects at large

Two men were killed and a Santa Rosa man was in custody after a late Thursday shooting in a residential part of Clearlake, police officials said.

Detectives still were searching for additional suspects, including several men whom witnesses saw running away after gunfire rang out, Sgt. Nick Bennett said.

Neither of the men killed was identified Friday. Bennett said that coroner’s staff members still were working on confirming their identities.

Francisco Leon-Sarmiento, 26, of Santa Rosa was being held on $1 million bail at the Lake County Jail on suspicion of murder, records show.

Callers reported hearing gunshots at 8:21 p.m. Thursday in the 16000 block of 35th Avenue, police said. Officers found two men on the ground in a yard, one dead and the other wounded. The wounded man later died at St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.

Less than two hours later, Officer Mike Ray saw a Toyota pickup matching one witnesses saw at the scene and pulled it over, Bennett said. He said the driver, later identified as Leon-Sarmiento, was detained as a “person of interest” in the case.

Friday morning, police finished examining the crime scene with the help of Lake County district attorney’s investigators who have access to special equipment useful in mapping and analyzing crime scenes.

Officers were expected to search the residence as well.

The shooting took place in the city’s eastern neighborhood, often called “the avenues.” The neighborhood is a grid of streets without sidewalks with mostly single-story homes.

Police gave few descriptions of additional suspects being sought in the case beyond that they were male and should be considered “armed and dangerous.”

Anyone with information about the case can call Detective Ryan Peterson at 994-8251, ext. 320.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.