Two dead in shooting at Humboldt County Caltrans facility

A Caltrans employee Monday morning apparently shot his supervisor, then turned the gun on himself during a dispute at a maintenance facility in Humboldt County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The shooting was reported about 7 a.m. at Caltrans’ Rio Dell facility, the CHP reported in a news release on its Facebook page. Rio Dell is located north of Scotia.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found one person dead and another critically wounded. The wounded person was transported to Redwood Memorial Hospital but later died, CHP officials said.

Neither of the deceased person’s names was released.

Law enforcement investigators believe the shooting stemmed from an altercation between a Caltrans supervisor and an employee. The employee retrieved a handgun and fired several rounds at the supervisor, killing her, before turning the handgun on himself, the CHP reported.

“News of this tragedy shocks and saddens everyone at Caltrans,” Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said in a written response to the incident. “Our thoughts naturally are with the families. The exact details are under investigation and Caltrans is cooperating with law enforcement.”

The investigation is being handled by Humboldt CHP with the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office and Rio Dell Police Department.