Two injured in Healdsburg shooting

Healdsburg police Thursday were investigating an apparent double shooting from overnight that wounded two men, but they have been hampered by uncooperative victims.

Both men were shot in their lower bodies and their wounds were not considered life threatening, said Sgt. Will Van Vleck.

Healdsburg dispatchers began receiving calls shortly before 11 p.m. about gunshots on the northern end of Ward Street, in a residential area east of Highway 101 at the south end of town.

Witnesses reported multiple people running and vehicles leaving the area, but they weren’t able to give detailed descriptions of the shooters or others involved, Sgt. John Haviland said.

A white car and two or three black or dark-colored cars were seen fleeing, he said.

Officers found several shell casings in the area and were able to locate two vehicles and a boat that had been struck by bullets, but no gunshot victims.

About a half-hour later, two shooting victims showed up at separate hospitals in Santa Rosa, Haviland said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office responded to Sutter hospital and Santa Rosa police were at Memorial hospital with a second victim, Haviland said.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said it appears the victim at Sutter was related to the Healdsburg shooting, so deputies turned reports over to that agency.

Van Vleck said Healdsburg officers were reviewing video taken from nearby locations with hopes of identifying those involved.

“So far, from both individuals in the hospital, we haven’t received cooperation. So we’re still working to determine exactly what happened and if the victims were in fact even here,” he said.

The two men were driven to the hospitals in private vehicles. Both were in their early 20s and Sonoma County residents, Healdsburg Police Sgt. Luis Rodriguez said.

Police had been called to the area recently for minor problems like people drinking and gathering, Van Vleck said, but nothing violent.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Healdsburg Police Department’s dispatch center at 707-431-3377.

Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.