Salt Creek Boat Ramp Shooting

“On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 1137 hours, deputies from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office South County Patrol Station were dispatched to the area of the Salt Creek Boat Ramp, in Lakehead, for the report of a shooting. While deputies were responding to the scene, they learned the suspect in the shooting, later identified as 21-year-old, Silas Matthew Hesselberg from Sacramento, California, had been detained by witnesses in the area.

When deputies arrived, they located two gunshot victims and were able to detain Hesselberg without incident. Ambulances were called into the scene and both victims were transported to an area hospital. One of the victims was treated and released that day; the other victim remains in the hospital in critical condition.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit was contacted and took over the investigation. Hesselberg was transported to the Major Crimes Unit where he provided a statement to detectives.

Detectives learned through the investigation, the victims and their families were near the Salt Creek Boat Ramp when they were approached by Hesselberg for no apparent reason. Hesselberg immediately called one of the victims a racial slur. Hesselberg then produced a handgun from his pocket and shot both victims.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating this incident as a Hate Crime. Hesselberg was ultimately placed under arrest. He was transported and booked into the Shasta County Jail for two counts of 664/187(a) PC: Attempted Homicide and one count of 422.6(a) PC: Civil Rights Violation and is currently held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public, any crimes motivated by hatred or other biases will not be tolerated, they will be investigated seriously, and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Additional information regarding the circumstances or language used against the Victim(s) will not be released as this is still an active and ongoing investigation. If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, they are encouraged to contact the Shasta County Major Crimes Unit at 530-245-6135 or by email at MCU@co.shasta.ca.us.

Case number, 21S012667 Shasta County Sheriff’s Office- Major Crimes Unit Sergeant Kyle Wallace 04/19/2021