According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 1145am a man, later identified as 29-year-old, Zonathan Derrell Butler, fired shots at the Linden Gun Range. Allegedly he was irate after He was denied entry and told that the range was not open to the public.
“Butler had apparently threatened the worker as he walked out, and was in their parking lot holding a cased firearm in his hand.
The caller disconnected for an unknown reason, and approximately two minutes later, called us back, reporting that Butler was now shooting his weapon towards their facility. The call-taker could also hear gunshots on the phone line at this time.
It appears the suspect got in his car, drove around outside of the range into another parking lot and fired at least 29 rounds from his handgun, a 40-caliber weapon. He then fled from the scene in his vehicle, at a high rate of speed, heading westbound on Hwy 4.
After receiving updates via our Dispatch Center, deputies responding to the incident location came across the suspect vehicle travelling in the opposite direction from them, on Hwy 4.
In an effort to verify that this was the suspect vehicle, they turned around to try to catch up to it, but Butler had already gained quite a bit of distance on them. Shortly after, they saw a large cloud of dust when Butler’s vehicle lost control and crashed near Drais Road in Linden”.
Butler was then arrested and taken to the hospital for medical clearance prior to being booked into the County jail on numerous charges:
-assault with a deadly weapon
– negligently discharging a weapon at an inhabited building
– criminal threats, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle
-carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle
-and driving under the influence.
