El Dorado County standoff ends with death of suspect in apparent murder-suicide, sheriff says
.jpeg "Ulrich Smith was accused of shooting a woman in Somerset, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.")
A standoff Thursday evening in Somerset ended with deputies locating a male suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and a deceased woman, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
The sheriff’s office has identified the suspect in the apparent murder-suicide as Ulrich Smith and the victim as Janet Trigg, 58.
Sheriff’s deputies surrounded a home on Meyers Lane in the unincorporated community of Somerset on Thursday afternoon after receiving calls about 10:15 a.m. of a possible homicide at that location, according to an earlier news release by the sheriff’s office.
The reporting party told sheriff’s officials that she believed her daughter had been shot by Smith, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office. Authorities confirmed the homicide suspect was still inside the Meyers Lane residence, and negotiations began about 4:30 p.m.
In a Friday morning update to Facebook, sheriff’s officials said a single gunshot was heard about 5:30 p.m., and Smith was found dead inside the home. Deputies then found Trigg’s body while securing the home, according to the updated post.
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has determined that the area is safe, but advised that law enforcement investigation may still be underway in the immediate area.
The incident led nearby Pioneer Elementary School to be locked down Thursday as a precaution.
