Highway 94 Closure in Jamul

Update II:

From 10 News, a much more detailed report of this incident:

A Jamul man was behind bars Tuesday for allegedly firing a pistol toward a transient camp out of drunken anger over its presence in his neighborhood, a sheriff's official reported.

Scott Andrew Amerman, 39, surrendered peacefully to deputies outside his trailer-park home at State Route 94 and Proctor Valley Road about an hour after Monday's non-injury shooting, Sgt. Manuel Diaz said.

A resident of the shantytown near Amerman's trailer made an emergency call shortly before 5:30 p.m. to report seeing a man in the area with a pistol in his hand, Diaz said.

While the witness was talking to deputies, four shots rang out from the direction of the mobile-home park, according to the sergeant.

Sheriff's personnel surrounded the complex and closed down a stretch of SR-94 while trying to locate the gunman.

About an hour later, Amerman walked to the entrance of the park and surrendered. A search of his trailer turned up two handguns and two pellet guns, Diaz said.A man who had been with Amerman at the time of the shooting said the suspect was "very intoxicated" and upset about "the local transient camp problem," according to Diaz.

"The trailer park and transient camp were checked for victims, with negative results," the sergeant said.

Amerman was booked on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner.

The decision this country has made to make some immigration illegal, but then not enforce those laws, has numerous consequences. What Amerman allegedly did isn't something I would defend – but I will point out that such incidents are inevitable in the context of the immigration laws, policies, and pressures facing this nation.

From a moral perspective, making some immigration illegal but then not enforcing the law is the only wrong choice – it would be far more moral to either have those laws and enforce them, or to make all immigration legal. Readers of this blog know that I favor the latter, with certain conditions about immigrants assimilating into American culture.

Update:

The San Diego Union Tribune is carrying this brief story:

EAST COUNTY: State Route 94 was closed in Jamul for nearly an hour yesterday until sheriff's deputies arrested a man suspected of firing a gun near a transient camp.

A witness reported seeing a man with a handgun near the camp near Route 94 and Lyons Valley Road about 5:30 p.m., sheriff's officials said.

Deputies were talking to the witness when they heard three to four gunshots from a mobile home park, sheriff's Sgt. Manuel Diaz said. Deputies surrounded the park, and a sheriff's helicopter crew flew overhead warning residents to stay indoors.

The man came out of his mobile home about 7 p.m. and surrendered after a friend first came out and told deputies that the 39-year-old man had not fired at anyone. The friend said the shots were fired in frustration over the transient camp near his home.

Diaz said the man was jailed on suspicion of illegal discharge of a firearm.

Original Post:

This morning's news brings this story (from NBC San Diego):

Highway 94 was shut down in Jamul for less than an hour Monday night as the San Diego County Sheriff's Department investigated reports of a suspicious person with a gun.

The incident began at 6:20 p.m. Monday evening. The California Highway Patrol closed the 94 between between Lyons Valley and Jefferson roads at the request of the sheriff's department.

The CHP said there were some motorists in the area who were told to remain in their cars until the area was secured. The road was reopened around 7:10 p.m.

Sheriff's deputies told NBC 7/39 a middle-aged man, described as being distraught, was walking around the vicinity of a mobile home park with a gun. He was taken into custody, officials said.

The investigation is ongoing.

I did not see this myself, and I don't know anything beyond this news report. The image above is satellite imagery of the area in question – click for a larger view. I've marked the closed section of road in orange, and also circled the trailer park mentioned in the news report. If you know more about this incident and its resolution, please leave a comment…