Shooting wounds Lakeport man, suspect arrested

A Lake County man remained in custody Tuesday, suspected of attempted murder in the shooting of a Lakeport man, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.

Leonso Paul Rangel, 46, was arrested Sunday at his Lakeport home, where detectives found a gun they suspected he’d used in the shooting the day earlier, sheriff’s officials said.

The shooting occurred around 11:40 p.m. Saturday in Lakeport as the 27-year-old victim walked along Mission Rancheria Road, officials said in a news release. They said the man, who wasn’t identified, ran to a nearby relative’s home for help after he was shot in the back and later was taken to an out-of-county hospital. He was expected to survive.

Rangel admitted to the shooting, saying he was “only trying to scare the victim and did not mean to hit him,” sheriff’s officials said. They said a possible motive involved suspicions the victim was interested in his girlfriend.

Detectives arrested Rangel on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a gun, being a felon with a gun and violating his probation. He’s being held in jail without bail because of the probation violation.

- Randi Rossmann