The sheriff’s department identifies the active shooter shot and killed by police officers Friday after he opened fire outside a Vons grocery store in Nipomo. He is identified as 42-year-old Scott Huffman of Bakersfield.
Huffman fired at least 20 rounds into the parking lot near the grocery store, into the street and into the Vons gas station before he was shot and killed by the CHP officers and deputies. The officers fired only five rounds when they neutralized the shooter.
None of Huffman’s 20 rounds injured law enforcement officers or bystanders. San Luis Obispo county sheriff Ian Parkinson says, “You can imagine with that many rounds being fired, we really lucked out.”
Officials believe Huffman may have been suffering a mental health crisis when he started shooting. He had no significant contact with law enforcement prior to the shooting.
Many mental health officials agree that the pandemic and government-imposed shut down are pushing some people to the breaking point. Unless they work for the government or a school district, they are likely severely impacted by the shut down.
