Amador County – Five Sacramento gang members were arrested while fleeing from the scene of a shootout at a marijuana growing operation near Ione Tuesday, where a man was found shot to death, and holding an empty shotgun.

Amador County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a homicide of He Ting Fu, 45, a resident of the property on Carbondale Road, where he was found shot to death in one of “two trailers wherein an exchange of gunfire had occurred,” according details release by Undersheriff Jim Wegner. Fu was found “covered in blood and was grasping an empty shotgun,” and “there were two expended shotgun shells near the decedent.”

Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene after 9:10 p.m. Tuesday after reports of multiple gunshots were heard, and a “second caller reported hearing 15-20 gunshots.”

Two vehicles, a white extra-cab truck and a green Ford Expedition, were seen traveling southwest on Carbondale Road from the area of reported gunshots. Wegner said deputies lost sight of the white truck as it turned onto Michigan-Ione Bar Road, but the Ford was overtaken and stopped at Preston Avenue and Wilda Court in Ione.

Wegner said the “vehicle was occupied by five Asian male subjects, all of which are gang members from the Sacramento area. A search of the vehicle revealed a ballistic vest, a tactical vest marked SWAT, a red and blue dash mounted law enforcement light, several flex cuffs,” gloves, plastic bags and pruning shears.

Simultaneously, Sheriff’s deputies responding to the shooting area discovered the shooting victim, on Carbondale road, where the compound included “an indoor and outdoor commercial marijuana cultivation operation.” The site of the shooting was located, the two trailers, and “there were numerous bullet holes in the trailers and expended ammunition was located on the ground nearby.”

Wegner said on the night of the investigation, a “backpack containing marijuana” was found “on Ione-Michigan Bar Road in the area the white pickup was last seen.” On Wednesday morning, “two semi-automatic pistols were located by the Search and Rescue Team on the shoulder of Ione-Michigan Bar Road within the direction of travel of the green Expedition. The firearms were consistent in caliber with the expended ammunition located at the scene. One of the firearms was reportedly stolen in Elk Grove in March.”

Wegner said Amador Sheriff’s Department “has arrested the five Asian male occupants of the green Ford Expedition whose ages rage from 18-23.The arrestees’ names are not being released at this time, pending positive fingerprint identification. The subjects are currently charged with attempted robbery, conspiracy and a gang activity enhancement.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.