Petaluma police arrest 88-year-old, seize gun following weekend standoff
An 88-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a weapons charge following a domestic disturbance and standoff in a Petaluma neighborhood over the weekend, police said.
Around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, officers were called to a home on Marian Way following reports of a man who armed himself with a firearm following a disturbance with family members. When police arrived, they learned that the person had gone into the backyard with the gun.
Officers then deployed a drone over the area. Police said the drone captured the man firing a single round while in the backyard.
The other occupants of the home were evacuated, police said, leaving the man alone. Following what was described as "several hours" of attempted negotiations, police entered the residence and took the man, identified as 88-year-old Ronald Shipley, into custody.
An investigation determined that Shipley fired a round into the home while it was still occupied. During a search of the home, a canine trained to detect the odor of firearms and ammunition found the weapon believed to have been used in the incident.
Shipley was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of shooting at an inhabited dwelling.