Second victim in rural Sebastopol shooting dies; no arrests reported

A second man has died following a violent encounter during a marijuana deal at a rural Sebastopol home, including gunfire that left a surviving witness hospitalized in critical condition and prompted a dragnet of detectives to fan out in a search for unidentified gunmen.

John Jessie Mariana, 28, of Guerneville succumbed to his injuries at 1:37 p.m. Tuesday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, three days after the attack at a Highway 116 South property about five miles southeast of Sebastopol, Sonoma County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

A resident of the home, former Cloverdale school teacher Nathan Proto, was killed during the Saturday gunfire, first reported in a frantic 911 call from a 23-year-old woman who was shot in the head but is expected to survive.

“We don’t know if any marijuana or money was taken from the home,” Crum said. Deputies later eradicated a pot garden at the property. “But at this time detectives do believe it involved sales of marijuana.”

The shooting was the deadliest reported crime in Sonoma County involving a marijuana transaction since 2013, when three people were killed at a Forestville cabin - 11 miles north of Saturday’s shooting - during a deal involving about 100 pounds of pot intended for sale on the East Coast. The convicted triggerman Mark Cappello was sentenced in May to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

That investigation sent detectives across the country to investigate the connections of the victims and at-large suspects, who were eventually arrested in three different states.

In the most recent case, investigators have not said how many suspects are at large and have reported no arrests.

Crum said the incident was a targeted attack possibly driven by some form of debt involving cash and marijuana. He said investigators do not believe the public is at risk, even though the shooter or shooters remain free, because “it was not a random shooting.”

The Sheriff’s Office has released few details about what occurred at the property the night of the shooting. He said the three people identified as victims - Proto, Mariana and the hospitalized woman, whose name has not been disclosed - were not suspects. The fatal injuries to the two men were detailed.

Crum said sheriff’s officials were “holding our cards close to the chest” while detectives seek to solve the crime.

“It’s an active investigation and the suspects are most likely watching all media outlets so we need to be very careful about what we say,” Crum said.

Proto and Mariana were friends. Family and friends described them as gentle and idealistic.

Proto worked for the Cloverdale School District for about four years ending in 2010. He taught third grade at Jefferson Elementary for three years and then spent a year as the English language development teacher at Washington Middle School.

Fellow teacher Jackie Rose described Proto as a “gentle giant” who forged connections with both students and their families, with a keen eye for struggling children. Rose said he was educated and worldly, and shared his experiences traveling to other countries and with arts and culture with the students.

“I remember making home visits to a struggling family’s home,” Rose said. “He loaned people his car, brought them clothes, hooked them up with resources and counseling. He kept an extra watchful eye on those families’ children at school.”

Proto played music, mostly percussion, and often played bongos outside in the schoolyard during lunch.

“He’d be under the tree, getting the kids dancing and playing and joining in,” Rose said.

Mariana, who went by his middle name Jessie, was a carpenter like his father, said his aunt Patricia Mariana, of Millbourne, Pennsylvania. He was an athlete in grade school, playing on the wrestling and football teams and was part of a large, tight-knit family with two sisters and 15 cousins, she said.

Mariana moved to California about five years ago, and seemed to find his niche in Sonoma County but traveled home often to see family, his aunt said. He was very close to his sister and flew back to Pennsylvania to be present during a surprise engagement party for her last December.

“He will be so sorely missed, we’re all just numb and in shock and disbelief,” Patricia Mariana said. “How could somebody do that to three human beings, three gentle human beings?”

Mariana was taken off life support Tuesday and his organs were donated, as was his wish, she said.

Rose, who taught alongside Proto in Cloverdale, said Proto left teaching to travel and pursue other ventures but didn’t elaborate.

“I believe in his heart that he was helping people and of that I’m certain,” Rose said.

Detectives found both potted cannabis plants and processed pot at the Highway 116 South property after they were called to the home. A greenhouse and garden with potted plants filled a small yard between the main front house and the rear residence, where Proto lived with his wife or longtime partner, who was not involved in the violence that occurred at the rural parcel about two miles west of Stony Point Road.

Deputies eradicated the garden Sunday. Officials declined to describe how much planted and processed pot was found on the property.

Crum said narcotics detectives were investigating whether the garden was being grown in compliance with state and local medical marijuana rules.

Crum said the individuals had met for some sort of marijuana transaction and possibly a debt. Detectives were still trying to determine the roles of those involved.

“The argument was about someone owing money or someone owing weed,” Crum said.

The Sheriff’s Office declined a request by The Press Democrat for copies of the 911, dispatch and incident logs of the incident, claiming they are “records of investigation compiled by a law enforcement agency” and are exempt from state record laws.