Police investigate after 1 person shot and killed at Lodi business
LODI — The search is on for a suspect who authorities say shot and killed an employee at a local business in the Lodi area on Friday.
The Lodi Police Department (LPD) said officers initially responded shortly after 2:10 p.m. to a report of an active shooter on South Sacramento Street. The identity of the victim is not yet known, but investigators said he worked at Holz Rubber Company.
Police said there were upwards of 100 employees at the company's warehouse, which is described on their website as a 7-acre manufacturing plant when the shooting happened there. Multiple witnesses were being interviewed and police said there were cameras in the facility. CBS13 witnesses officers canvassing nearby homes to retrieve doorbell camera video, if available.
The suspect was not located and the only description available was that the suspect was a man in dark clothing with a hooded sweatshirt.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, Stockton Police Department, and Department of Fish and Wildfire also responded, due to initial reports that it was an active shooter situation.
Once at the scene, law enforcement broke into teams to clear the entirety of the business that spans the entire city block. There was also a systemic evacuation process for the business and nearby businesses on S. Sacramento St.
During this part of the investigation, a LPD spokesperson told CBS13 that law enforcement found the victim's body. He was shot multiple times and it was determined to be a targeted incident.
The city block was closed for more than 8 hours while investigators gathered evidence. The coroner's van left the scene around 8 p.m. on Friday and, shortly after, a Holz Rubber Company employee told security at the police line that he was there to close the business itself, left open for investigators presumably.
CBS13 asked a Lodi Police Department spokesperson if the suspect was an employee at the company, but police could not confirm that information and added that a motive was still under investigation.
By 5 p.m. on Friday, LPD had several suspect leads they were investigating, according to a spokesperson.
Neighbors in the residential area around the business told CBS13 that a scene like what they saw on Friday was a first and very rare.
"You see all these workers, all the time. It's really sad. They're always there. You always drive by, you always see them. You never want anything to happen to anybody, especially right by your house." said Jaden Wilkinson, who shared Ring doorbell video from their home near the business with Lodi Police.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact LPD dispatch at (209) 333-6728.
