2020 — Sep 6, mass shooing, large marijuana growing house, Aguanga, Riverside Co., CA-7

–7 KESQ. “Coroner identifies the 7…killed…shootout at Aguana marijuana grow house.” 9-28-2020.
–7 Los Angeles Times. “7 people shot to death at marijuana grow house in Inland Empire…” 9-8-2020.

Narrative Information

Sep 8: “Aguanga, Calif. — The sheriff’s deputies arrived at the dusty lot east of Temecula half an hour after midnight Monday. A caller had reported an assault. They discovered a gruesome scene: Six people dead from gunshots. A seventh victim, a woman, was still alive, but died shortly after at a hospital.

“Along with the bodies, investigators discovered what Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco described as the makings of an “obvious large-scale illegal marijuana processing center.” There were hundreds of plants, a makeshift greenhouse, a lab for using butane to extract valuable THC from pot plants, and more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana with a street value in the millions, the sheriff said….Bianco said his investigators were pursuing a theory that multiple assailants had carried out the killings, and he suggested at a news conference Tuesday evening that the sprawling operation had been overseen by sophisticated criminals. ‘This was not that they just happened to be growing marijuana,” he said. “This was a very large operation, a very organized-crime type of an operation.’….” (Los Angeles Times. “7 people shot to death at marijuana grow house in Inland Empire, authorities say.” 9-8-2020.)

Sep 28: “The Riverside County Coroner’s Office has released the identities of the seven Laotian nationals killed in a shootout at an illegal marijuana growing operation in Aguanga earlier this month. The male victims were identified as Khamphour Nanthavongdovane, 53, and Vikham Silimanotham, 64. The female victims were identified as Phone Chankhamany, 54, Khamtoune Silimanotham, 59, Souphanh Pienthiene, 48, Thongpath Luangkoth, 47, Samantha Sourignasak, 44. According to Sheriff Chad Bianco, were the victims are believed to be Laotian nationals.

“The victims were all found with gunshot wounds at a home along the 45000 block of Highway 371, west of Anza on Sept. 7 shortly after midnight [i.e. the killings were not on the 7th.]

“In a news conference on Sept. 8, Bianco said that evidence found at the scene indicated that the location was being used to manufacture and harvest an illicit marijuana operation. Over one-thousand pounds of marijuana and several hundred marijuana plants, valued $1 million to upwards of $5 million, were located at the scene.

“Bianco also said the FBI and other federal agencies were requested to assist after evidence suggested that the cultivation operation had connections in other states. There were a number of vehicles found at the property that were registered outside California.

“The exact motive for the killings remains unclear. No suspects have been identified.” (KESQ News Channel 3, Las Vegas. “Coroner identifies the 7 people killed in a shootout at Aguana [sic] marijuana grow house.” 9-28-2020.)

Source

KESQ News Channel 3, Las Vegas (Jesus Reyes). “Coroner identifies the 7 people killed in a shootout at Aguana marijuana grow house.” 9-28-2020. Accessed 3-23-2021 at: https://kesq.com/news/crime/2020/09/28/coroner-identifies-the-7-people-killed-in-a-shootout-at-aguana-marijuana-grow-house/

Los Angeles Times (Stephanie Lai, Matthew Ormseth) “7 people shot to death at marijuana grow house in Inland Empire, authorities say.” 9-8-2020. Accessed 3-23-2021 at: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-08/7-people-shot-killed-marijuana-grow-house-riverside-county