California Self-Defense: Man stops gunman in Lakehead double-shooting :: 04/19/2021

Trent King from Redding thought he would have a nice trip with a friend to the Salt Creek Boat Ramp in Lakehead Sunday morning until he heard gunshots.

"We decided to go, my friend and I, go to the lake and get out just for a couple of hours, you know enjoy the weather while we could. And when we got down there, we happen to be down where they were actually interacting, and I’m not sure what the interaction was between them but we ended up hearing two shots," said King.

"Well at first, we thought they were fireworks so we didn't really react I guess appropriately. We were just nonchalant about it. When we hear the seconds ones and heard the screaming, we definitely got worried."

King said when they heard the gunshots, he decided to intervene.

"That’s when we pulled out our guns and proceeded to talk through what we were going to do. Whether we were going to go up there or wait for someone to come around and that’s about when he [the suspect] popped his head out and started walking towards us."

King said a couple of minutes later, a man walked out from behind a pillar supporting a bridge and started walking towards him and his friend. King says people involved in the incident told him the man was the shooter so he pulled his gun and told the man to stay put.

"I was definitely nervous, definitely scared a little bit, not knowing if he had a weapon or if he was the one who was shooting. It all happened so quickly," said King.

King said he held the shooter at gunpoint and called 911 and waited for law enforcement to arrive. The Shasta County Sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene and detained the suspect, 21-year-old Silas Matthew Hesselberg of Sacramento.

According to authorities, detectives say that Hesselberg previously approached the victims, called one of them a racial slur before pulling out a handgun and shooting both of the victims. Two people have been shot in the incident. Both victims were transported to the hospital with one person in critical condition and the other victim was released from the hospital. Authorities are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

After sharing his experience, King said people have been supportive after finding out that he detained Hesselberg in the aftermath of the shooting, and held him until deputies arrived. 

"Honestly, I just hope that someone would do the same thing for me if I was in that situation. I don't see myself as a hero. I just kept the guy there. I just want people to know that... be there for others really. That's really it."

Shasta County Sheriff's office says that Hesselberg was arrested and booked into the Shasta County jail, charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of civil rights violations. His bail is set at $500,000.

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/man-stops-gunman-in-lakehead-double-shooting